The Miami Heat’s legendary Big Three may have been only one version of the 2010 superstar plan.
Carmelo Anthony says the original idea was for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to team up while he and LeBron James found another destination together – preferably New York or Chicago.
“It was supposed to be Bosh and Wade, then me and Bron going somewhere,” Anthony said. “We wanted it to be New York or Chicago. If we were going to find a place, then let it be Chicago.”
Carmelo Anthony says he and LeBron almost teamed up in 2010 on the Bulls 👀
(via @DieHard_Chicago) pic.twitter.com/UUVavFEPCy
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 21, 2026
The thought of Anthony and James joining a Bulls team already featuring rising stars Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah is one of the great alternate-history scenarios in NBA history. Chicago was a serious player in the 2010 free-agent chase and was also considered by James, Wade and Bosh before the trio ultimately united in Miami.
There was one major complication: Anthony was not actually a free agent that summer. He remained under contract with Denver for the 2010-11 season and held a player option for the following year, meaning any immediate move would have required the Nuggets’ cooperation through a trade.
Anthony admitted that he did not fully understand the business side of the league at the time. He eventually forced his way to New York in February 2011, while James joined Wade and Bosh in Miami and reached four consecutive Finals.
The Bulls never got either version of the superteam. But a core of Rose, LeBron and Carmelo remains one of the NBA’s greatest “what ifs”.
