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Udonis Haslem Is Glad Miami Didn’t Trade James Harden For A Hilarious Reason

While many believed Udonis Haslem would retire this past off-season, he decided to come back for an 18th year and signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Heat.

By doing so, the Heat legend became only the 7th player in NBA history to play in 18 seasons with same team. The others are some of NBA history’s greatest in Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, John Stockton, Karl Malone and Reggie Miller.

But while Haslem’s on-court impact isn’t as big as it used to be, his locker room and mentoring role makes him even more important for the team. Haslem has been important for so many of his teammates and the entire Heat organization due to his leadership.

But his role is exactly why the three-time Champion is happy that his team didn’t end up trading for James Harden. Haslem said that it would have aged him 15 years.

“I knew we wasn’t gonna get him. You can’t bring James Harden to Miami. As much as I wanted that to work out, in my mind I was like, ain’t no way. I would’ve aged 15 years trying to be his O.G. He would’ve had to move me into the guesthouse to keep a close eye on him.”

"You can't bring James Harden to Miami… I would've aged 15 years trying to be his OG." 😂

Udonis Haslem kept it real on Harden coming to the Heat.

EPISODE w/ @ThisIsUD: https://t.co/n6yO8l8NbW pic.twitter.com/rfVcyKO8KH

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) January 19, 2021