Dwyane Wade has a big decision to make on where he'll sign this offseason. And before he makes his choice, he said he'll talk it over with fellow big-ticket free agents LeBron James and Joe Johnson.
Wade told the Chicago Tribune that he's not sure when the three players will talk, but they've been discussing their futures informally for a while now.
"[Free agency] has been three years coming," the Miami Heat superstar told the Tribune. "We've discussed it prematurely, at different times. [But] you don't know what guys are thinking and where they're going. I think we'll all sit down, and before one of us makes a decision, all of us will have spoken to each other and [listened to the] thinking.
"A lot of decisions [will be based on] what other players are willing to do and what other guys want to do. So it's not just a 'me' situation here. We all have to look and see what each other is thinking."
A source told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that the Toronto Raptors' Chris Bosh also will join Wade, James and Johnson when they discuss free agency.
"Bosh will definitely be there," a source said.
Wade's agent, Henry Thomas, said Thursday that no formal sit-down sessions among the headliners of this summer's class are scheduled.
James, Wade and Bosh became close while playing together on the U.S. Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal at the Beijing Games. While they've pondered the possibility of playing together in the NBA, only two of the stars are likely to wind up on the same team once the dust clears.
James, coming off back-to-back playoff disappointments with his home-state Cleveland Cavaliers, will be the most sought-after free agent this summer, but Wade should be a close second.
Johnson's stock might have fallen after his lackluster playoff series for the Hawks against the Orlando Magic, averaging just 13 points as Atlanta was swept.
Bosh, Toronto's All-Star forward, has reportedly given the Raptors a list of five teams he will consider signing with next season -- Toronto, Chicago, the New York Knicks, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers. Sources told Broussard that the New Jersey Nets are also a possibility for Bosh.
On his Twitter account, however, Bosh refuted that he had given the Raptors a list of teams he would accept in a sign-and-trade deal.
Free agency begins July 1.
One team that could have a problem signing Wade is his hometown Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls have money to spend this offseason and are expected to be one of the main suitors for James, in particular, but will their perceived disloyalty to former stars cost them a chance at the coveted players in the 2010 free-agent class?
"I think the biggest question that you think about has to be loyalty," Wade told the Tribune. "I know one thing about Miami: It is a very loyal organization. I see what they do with their players when their players get done with the game of basketball ... how loyal they are. I don't know about the Bulls."
In particular, Wade questions why Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who led the Bulls to six NBA championships, are no longer with the organization.
"I see Michael Jordan is not there, Scottie Pippen is not there ... You know, these guys are not a part," Wade told the Tribune. "Things like that. So that is probably one of the biggest things for me, because I am a very loyal person."
Jordan recently became the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Bulls, Knicks, Nets and Heat have the most financial flexibility to add a prime free agent from the 2010 class, which also includes the Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire.
Chris Broussard, who covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine, contributed to this report.