Miami's Plan A is obvious -- re-sign Dwyane Wade, then sign a running mate from the deep free-agent pool. The most likely target is a big man such as Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer, but don't count them out of the running for the summer's grand prize -- LeBron James.

If Wade and another maximum free agent are in the fold, most of the team's cap room will be gone. They'd be left with two superstars, a few complementary players, one or two rookies and only about $4.9 million left to fill out the roster. With that money they'd need to bring in two starters and three or four bench players.

This is the harsh reality for teams chasing the premier free agents -- they have to gut their rosters to generate the cap room. Miami would have to give up its Bird rights to free agents such as Udonis Haslem and Quentin Richardson. To create as much cap room as possible, they'd also have to waive James Jones -- whose salary is partially guaranteed if he's waived by June 30.

So it will probably take Miami -- or any team looking to make a big free-agent splash -- a couple of years to rebuild its depth.

Not that anyone's saying the Heat shouldn't swing for the fences. Even though they'd have a lot of holes to fill, they'd still have two superstars at the top of their roster, which is more than most teams can claim. The depth can come later.

One way to jump-start the process would be to acquire a free agent via sign-and-trade. Rather than signing a player such as Chris Bosh directly, they'd let the Toronto Raptors re-sign him for the purpose of trading him to Miami. A sign-and-trade could be a win-win-win situation: Toronto could get something in return for its star player, rather than losing him for nothing; Bosh could get more money by re-signing with his former team; and Miami could pluck a useful player or two from Toronto's roster.

• To read more Miami Heat scenarios, check out Larry Coon's column.

The question:
Could Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose play well together?

Background:
Let me make one thing clear up front: I'm not saying Dwyane Wade is coming to Chicago. There's simply no way to know how this summer's free-agent bonanza is going to turn out. However, until he either re-signs with the Miami Heat or signs with another team, it remains a viable possibility. And hey, there are longer shots than D-Wade coming back to his hometown, right?

Now, when I'm chatting on ESPN's Daily Dime Live, the question I'm asked most often is: Which free agent(s) would you most like to see the Bulls sign this summer? My first two picks are always Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, usually in that order. The response from most DDL chatters is usually something along the lines of: "Wade could never play alongside Derrick Rose. They both need the ball in their hands."

It's a reasonable point to make. Rose is a scoring point guard, and Wade functions as Miami's "three guard." And the numbers seem to indicate Dwyane is a dominator of the ball. Check it: Wade has finished in the top five in usage percentage in three of the past five seasons, and he leads the league this season, as well. Yes, ahead of LeBron James. Rose, meanwhile, currently ranks 12th.

Unless David Stern makes some radical rule changes during the offseason, we have to assume that NBA teams will still be allowed only one basketball per possession. So two guys who are always holding onto the rock couldn't possibly work in tandem … could they?

• For more analysis on a Wade-Rose combo, check out By The Horns by Matt McHale.

James

1. LeBron James, Cavaliers (PO)
The ongoing buzz surrounding LeBron's foray into free agency this summer has been the loudest in NBA history. Several teams have focused their entire strategy on having a chance to sign him or another superstar on this list.

But will LeBron actually leave Cleveland? The Cavaliers did their part in trying to convince him to stay when they pulled off a deadline deal for Antawn Jamison, who should help give LeBron his best shot at an NBA title.

Still, other teams will make a run at him, offering him a bigger market or more talented teammates.

The New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets were thought to be his biggest suitors, and they'll both have the money to pay him. But both teams are so depleted from a talent standpoint that he might not want to join them. A couple of other teams, including the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, also will be far enough under the cap to pay him if he wants to go to a team that already has a superstar (D-Wade) or potential superstar (D-Rose) on the roster. And don't count out the Los Angeles Clippers, who have a lot of talent and the cap room to pay him after their deadline moves.

While I think LeBron ultimately will stay in Cleveland, he will create some thrills and very worried Cavs fans if he shops around this summer.

Wade

2. Dwyane Wade, Heat (PO)
Wade's potential departure hasn't had nearly the same hype as LeBron's, for two reasons: (1) most people in the league believe Wade wants to stay in Miami, and (2) he turned 28 in January, so he's not the young franchise cornerstone LeBron is.

Still, there will be plenty of teams interested in Wade, especially the Chicago Bulls, who will try to court him back to his hometown. But the Heat will use Wade as a recruiter in an attempt to get one or more of the top free agents to come to Miami instead.

• To see all of the top available free agents, check out Chad Ford's complete list.