9. Chris Bosh signs with the Miami Heat (2010)
The first major free agent acquisition in Miami’s construction of their “Big 3” was Chris Bosh. Bosh signed a six year, $110 million contract to play alongside Dwayne Wade, before LeBron James had joined forces with the two of them (the signing was eventually completed when the Heat sent two first round picks to the Raptors as part of a sign-and-trade). His signing gave increased credibility to the rumors of a secret agreement between Bosh, Wade, and James to sign somewhere together when their contracts expired. According to sources, the trio made this secret pact in 2008 when they played together for the United States Olympic team. Bosh’s contributions were often overshadowed by the accomplishments of LeBron and Wade, but there’s no denying Bosh played a key role during the Heat’s four straight trips to the NBA Finals.