Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  172 responses

Report: LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh Met in Miami

UPDATE: … Or maybe they didn’t.

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Who knows? Maybe the three biggest NBA free agents this summer met up in Miami over the weekend to discuss the new season of “True Blood.” No one can say for sure.

According to ESPN and their sources, however, Bosh, Wade and James got together and finally had that Free Agent Summit.

It was a much smaller affair than what was initially dreamed up a few weeks ago, and more importantly, this particular meeting had a very specific goal: the triumvirate reportedly wanted to explore the terrifying possibility of playing together in South Beach next season.

Sources close to the situation said Monday night that three of the biggest names in basketball — Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James — met over the weekend in Miami to seriously discuss their futures, with a focus on the increasingly plausible possibility of those three teaming up with Wade’s Heat.

Yet sources with knowledge of the meeting stressed to ESPN.com that James, while clearly intrigued by the possibility of forming a star-studded Miami trio with Wade and Bosh, has not yet committed to leaving his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for South Beach. One source did label Miami as the new frontrunner to land James in a package deal with Bosh and a re-signed Wade but also cautioned that James was “non-committal” with the start of free agency fast approaching.

Sources said James remains committed to fielding free-agent pitches from several teams when free agency officially opens Thursday at 12:01 a.m. ET, with the Chicago Bulls continuing to rank as a highly appealing destination and a return to Cleveland still figuring prominently in his thinking and with the Dallas Mavericks looming as an intriguing outsider.

Everyone seems to have a theory these days: 48 hours ago, Chicago was a “done deal”, some now claim there’s friction within the LeBron camp, others believe Bosh is a goner from Toronto, and this is apparently all part of Pat Riley’s evil and ingenious plan.

The truth is that no one truly knows what’s going to happen once the clock strikes midnight on July 1st, not even the players themselves.

Just hang on to your hats, it’s going to be a wild ride.

UPDATE: Wade’s people are now saying there was no meeting in Miami: “Dwyane Wade’s representatives on Tuesday disputed an ESPN report that Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh held a mini-summit in Miami this past weekend to discuss their plans for free agency, which begins Thursday. Henry Thomas, who is Wade’s agent, said the report was untrue and that Wade spent the weekend in Chicago. Bosh spent the weekend in Miami and told The Miami Herald that the Heat is in ‘top contention’ to sign him. But the players are believed to have discussed among themselves the possibility of all three playing for the Heat.”

Please adjust your lives accordingly.

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  • ciroqobama

    Enigmatic is sensitive daaaamn! lol

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Eff that, I can see why a team would rather have Rose over Wade.
    Point guards are harder to find than two guards, Rose is younger and less injury prone. It all depends on your team. Rose isn’t better than Wade, but I can see why a team would want to build long term around Rose.
    Honestly, if the Bulls just get Joe Johnson, they will be a very dangerous team.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    @Eboy – thanks, brother. It’s all good. I hadn’t had my shot of java yet when I made that statement (I’m on Alaska time these days). @ciroaobama -sorry, that may or may not be the PTSD acting up!

  • http://4Aitkenroad,Hamilton,ScotlandML37YA Hambone

    i think shaq may be a key signing,wait a minute i was playing live 97

  • cp3fan

    D-Wade and LeBron are supposed to be playing against each other, not with each other. This will take some of the excitement out of the league. Two of the three best players on the same team? I would rather see Dwyane and Bosh go against LeBron and Boozer/Stoudemire.

  • cp3fan

    They will still have a hard time with the Bulls if they get two star players still and the Orlando Magic aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. And they still won’t be better than the Lakers if Phil Jackson decides to return. Who are you going to put around them? That’s also a question that needs to be answered before we crown them the 2011 NBA Champions.

  • http://kb24.com DreXnaW21

    Question: DWade + LeBron + CB4 = 2011 Champions???

    Answer: No…

  • Jose

    Co-sign DreXna (even as a heat fan myself.) =(
    I was speechless when i saw the Head;ine for this right now.haha. Kinda let dwn now…

  • T-Money

    Allenp: that’s good and all but Chicago would trade Rose for Wade yesterday. Straight up. Cmon guys, get real. 28 is not 38. / Bosh in MIA is done, apparently he bought a house already. Personally, as a Bron fan, I would still prefer the Chicago option. The team already has an identity and there would be no alpha dog crisis. Bron would run sh-t from the get go, D-Rose would be the Robin, Noah would be the energy/dirty work guy, and they would STILL have enough cash to snatch a PF. Rose, Bron, Deng, Booz/Lee/STAT, Noah is an incredible 5. You can even trade Deng for a SG+back up big man. And you still have Taj Gibson.

  • http://www.twitter.com/dfrance21 dfrance

    I don’t get the Rose/Wade debate at all. Teams in the hunt for these free agents are trying to win right now, not 5 years from now so the age point is moot. You’d be crazy not to take Wade over Rose today, or for the next 5 years for that matter. And the whole “a pg is harder to find than a sg” debate makes no sense. Rose is not CP3 or DWill or Rondo. Shoot-first athletic PGs are becoming a dime a dozen too.

    With that being said, i do feel that Chi is a better destination for the Bron/Bosh combo than MIA. But not by much.

  • T-Money

    I have no clue why Bosh prefers MIA to Chicago other than the weather and the st tax (wait, I know exactly why then). He’ll have to play the 5 a lot in MIA as opposed to Chicago who have a legit 5 that will play 35+ a game. Once you sign on the dotted line, you have no leverage anymore. If Riles says you play 5 then you play 5.

  • http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:OzhW3M1GBSKkgM:http://fashionsensei.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/jackie-moon.jpg Jackie Moon

    @Eboy I want to talk Lakers!!!!

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    ^Someone with reasoning powers………that is NOT a dime a dozen around here. Bravo.

  • http://fjkf.com Jukai

    Rose/Wade isn’t remotely debatable. Eboy said it best: Wade is top-3 in the LEAGUE. Rose isn’t even top three in his position. Just THINK about that for a second before anyone asks who Lebron would rather play with.
    It’s not like Rose is a Paul/Nash/Deron type PG. He can pass, but he gets his assists cause of his scoring, not the other way around. Give me Wade anyday.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Jackie…have at it, the bandwagoners will be shifting way South soon, so you’ll have a lot of free time to discuss your team with half the populace gone.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    T….you act like Noah is an offensive, post-up center. He’s going to have to play out of the paint a ton to free up space for a potential Bosh/Boozer/STAT spot. He’s not a center like Shaq or Dwight, He’s just so limited offensivley, he’s listed as a center because you can hide a crappy offensive guy there and just use his length and hustle at the spot. Chicago has a history of big stiffs from the early 80′s on. Would you like me to name them? Here I goes…….(you’ll love this, I’m sure)

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Granville Waiters.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Brad Sellers.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Dickey Simpkins.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Dave Corzine.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Eddy Curry.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Cheryl

    Just a comparison: Boston’s “Big Three” all had different style games. Ray spot up threes, PP’s fairly versatile, can spot up or create, KG’s an animal (or at least he thinks he is) on D and can score down low and hit a mid range shot. These 3 offered the Celtics a variety of ways to beat a team. I’m worried that if Miami gets its own “Big Three” of Wade-Bron-Bosh-that there’d be too many egos and too few ways to diversify an offense. I’m all for at least one of Bron or Bosh–I think we’d be awesome. But add that third, and there could be trouble. And as for PG, that argument is moot since DWade handles most of the time anyway and has shown that if he trusts his teammates he will pass the ball. Bron handles as well. The point on a team with Wade and James is in name only.

  • T-Money

    E: but he’ll defend centers. that’s the key.

  • http://www.twitter.com/dfrance21 dfrance

    Dickey Simpkins!!!

  • CC413

    nice enthusiasm for your team scotty but be realistic man yal dont have a bench of ballers.. and boozer over bosh? bosh is a better scorer, rebounder, and defender and will only get better while boozer is pretty much as good as hel ever get.. yeah boozer may be alil rougher in the post but he cant get his like bosh can.. this is a no-brainer i mean boozer is a tremendous player but just be realistic man

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Joe Alexander.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Cheryl is in denial because she doesn’t want to believe that it could actually happen.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    I remember watching Bulls games in the 90′s, wanting to choke the sh*t outta Dickey Simpkins. Same with Luc Longley and Will Perdue. Good times.

  • Twon

    Was Wade in Chicago this past Weekend? i think this was made up.

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ niQ

    trying not to get my hopes up. who’s on the bench?

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Should I mention Bill Wennington, Luc Longley, Joe Klein & Jack Haley or no because they all got rings?

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Cheryl

    that niQ comment was me… Slam’s phantom at it again…

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    niQ, I could come off the bench and contribute 6 pts a game. I’m sure you could muster a basket or two.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    T-Money
    So because Chicago would do it does that make it smart?
    Wade is better than all but two cats in the league, and it’s arguable whether those cats are better than him. But, he regularly has injuries, he’s prone to pouting and he’s a somewhat undersized two guard. I love Wade’s game, but if I was building a team, I wouldn’t just trade Rose straight up because he’s on the verge of being one of the best point guards in the league, and that and low post big man are the two hardest things to find.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Well then Cheryl, you could contribute a bucket a half couldn’t you? For the league minimum?

  • CC413

    u run your mouth alil too much eboy.. noah will be one of the best centers in the nba and is already one of the best rebounders post defenders.. he will only get better and is already better than any of the players u mentioned

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ niQ

    I was wondering why Eboy was talking about me. lol

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Allen is out of his mind. And I love the dude. Until Rose can make SOMEBODY better on his own squad, let’s stop talking. He’s great for what he is….a very good slashing/scoring pg. He’s not the type of guy that’s leading you with his “team-first” mentality. That’s what a PG is supposed to do. He is not that. He’s an undersized two, if anything. Let’s not be conflicted mentally.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    DFrance
    Rose is not a shoot first athletic point guard. I watched enough Chicago games to realize that Rose is a willing and very able passer, who understand tempo and running an offense. the problem was the offense. You put Rose in an offense that uses him the same way the point guards you named are used, and he would be extremely dangerous.
    Besides, he’s barely scratching his potential. Athletically, he’s like the Lebron of point guards. Plus, he showed marked improvement from year one to year two in his jump shot. He needs to improve on defense, but has the tools and appears to want to work.
    Bottom line, Wade is one of the three best players in the league, easy money. And, I wouldn’t be mad if Chicago traded Rose for Wade. But, I wouldn’t be mad at Chicago if they turned that trade down because they believed they would be jsut fine with Joe Johnson playing the two instead of Wade.

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ niQ

    SLAM: Where Reporting the news then un-reporting the News happens.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    CC413, and offensivley he is 3 steps below Dwight and that’s pretty horrible so……..what’s your point? He’s a hustler/defender….good for him and he’s in a good system for his skills.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Cheryl

    Just checked out the unretricteds across the league and I guess a nice bench could be had for the league minimum. I would like to see UD and Joel back, and they’re not taking the minimum.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Dwyane must have done something personally to Allen.

  • http://slamonline.com JL

    noah’s actually quite good. not much of an offensive player skill wise, but very active and not a stiff, see how he stole the ball and took it all the way for a dunk. that takes fast reflexes, agility, and speed.

    I think the heat will definitely not sign 3 max guys (or close to max), but 2 max and 1 semi-max guy. They do need a bench, a good one, as they can’t last a full season playing all 40+ minutes. it’ll be like the cavs all over again.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Cheryl

    sorry, unrestricted free agents. the follower has a list of all 30 teams’…

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Cheryl

    sorry, unrestricted free agents. the follower has a list of all 30 teams’…

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Eboy
    Exactly what is “make someone better”?
    Did Noah improve?
    How is Deng looking?
    Taj Gibson?
    So you’re arguing that Rose didn’t improve their play besides the horrible coaching by Vinny? You’re saying you have noticed that vast improvement in Rose’s jumper, particular off the bounce on pick and rolls, or his growing understandin of tempo?
    You don’t remember what he did to the celtics and cleveland in back to back years?
    The Bulls ran a crappy offense, it was n’t about Rose being a chucker or shoot first.
    More importantly, look at how much dude improved from his rookie year, despite the injury and then consider all the untapped potential.
    I mean, was Wade actually making Chalmers and Beasley better, or pouting like a spoiled child when he didn’t get his way.
    Sure, he was a beast that first year after the Olympics, but I can’t be the only one who noticed that he was taking games off and turning on his teammates last year, can I?

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Oh, and Noah is underrated offensively. I thought he would just be a hustle, Varejo guy, but his passing and court vision or suberb. As is his spacing. He has oodles of confidence and a willingness to put in work.
    His jumper is an atrocity, but it improved slightly, he improved his faceup game and jump hook last year.
    Plus, his motor is off hte charts. Dude has a a lot of potential, way more than I originally gave him credit for.
    I think if the Bulls signed say Joe Johnson and Stat, they would have no problem being championship contenders in the East, even if LBJ, Wade and Bosh team up in Miami. I honestly like that roster so much.

  • The Philosopher

    Wade was gassed during the Playoffs.
    Riley criticized Wade’s conditioning during the season. But…

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Allen…..I’m confused, a month ago you were kind of slurping all things Lakers, now you seem to have a crush on the Bulls. What’s the deal? Equal opportunity love? Would you root a little bit for the Heat if they sign AI to a minimal contract too….cause that’s what’s being talked about too.

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