With two of the big three free agents off the table, all eyes now turn to LeBron James. The star forward has revealed when he will announce where he'll play next season, but the deliberations in James' camp regarding where continue. Amid a growing sense among rival executives that James intends to stay with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that James is still seriously considering joining forces with Wade and Bosh in Miami and had a discussion about the possibility that all three could wind up playing together for the Heat on a conference call at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
ESPN's Shelley Smith is also reporting that LeBron to Miami is a "strong possibility."
As we ended the sixth full day of free agency, multiple sources told ESPN.com that James is not expected to reveal his decision until his official announcement on ESPN on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
The news comes after two days during which several teams around the league told ESPN.com that James was increasingly likely to re-sign with his hometown Cavaliers and that Wade and Bosh were on their way to the Heat.
Yet there was a growing sense late Tuesday that the Heat's hopes of landing all three All-Stars were being revived
Said one Eastern Conference official close to the situation, when asked to predict James' landing spot: "Cleveland … or in Miami with Wade and Bosh."
ESPN.com reported June 28 that the trio held a scaled-down version of the free-agent summit originally suggested by Wade to seriously discuss their futures, with a focus on the idea that all three could team up with the Heat. Sources close to the situation insist, though, that James has not promised anything to his Team USA colleagues and is not tipping off which way he's leaning.
Signing with Miami would pose its fair share of challenges. It would be difficult, but not impossible, for the Heat to make the numbers work. No one knows what the NBA's official salary cap will be until Wednesday night. Under virtually every scenario, the Heat lack the cap space to give each of the free agents maximum contracts. They could try to clear enough room by working out a trade that would send Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers to a team with cap space. However, even if the Heat completely evacuate the roster, they still would fall slightly short of being able to pay each player the max.Alternately, the Heat can work with the Raptors and/or the Cavs to do sign-and-trades for Bosh or James. Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo has indicated that he's willing to talk sign-and-trade with the Heat but so far has balked at the idea of taking Beasley in any such deal. Cavs owner Daniel Gilbert has been steadfast that the Cavs won't participate in a sign-and-trade for James.
If the Heat cannot work out a sign-and-trade with the Raptors or Cavs, James and Bosh could each leave an additional $30 million on the table thanks to collective bargaining rules that allow their home teams to offer higher raises and a sixth year on their contracts.Bosh in particular has been adamant that whatever deal he works out is a sign-and-trade.
Despite the obstacles, sources say that the trio are open to taking pay cuts to make the dream team happen if the Heat can't find ways to give them more money.
If the three end up together, it would be a partnership many years in the making.
