There is a growing belief among both sources and rival executives that LeBron James is strongly considering joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.
That news has sent GMs from the Cavs, Bulls and Nets scrambling to come up with a last ditch effort to convince LeBron to reconsider. Their plan, according to sources, involves Carlos Boozer.
Sources said that on Wednesday, the Bulls, Cavs and Nets all intensified negotiations with Boozer, hoping that landing the 28-year-old power forward could entice LeBron.
The Bulls and Nets would still have max cap room to sign LeBron if they can get Boozer to agree to a deal for something around 5 years, $80 million.
The Cavs do not have cap space and cannot sign Boozer straight out. However, the team has called the Jazz about potentially doing a sign-and-trade with Boozer.
Boozer has played the last five years for the Utah Jazz. He averaged 19.2 ppg and 11.2 rpg for the Jazz last season. Boozer began his career in Cleveland and remains friendly with LeBron.
Meanwhile, sources say that the Knicks are still holding out hope that the combination of Amare Stoudemire, Mike D'Antoni and the bright lights of NYC will persuade LeBron to go to New York.
"We think we're still in this thing," a Knicks source said. "We keep hearing all the things you're hearing, but our best information tells us we are still strongly in the mix."