David Lee was a wanted man after the clock struck midnight Thursday, so wanted that he has already lined up meetings with four teams: Miami, Chicago, Minnesota and New Jersey.
The New York Knicks' forward became an unrestricted free agent, and agent Mark Bartelstein said he was contacted by eight or nine teams that had expressed an interest in signing Lee.
The Bulls and Heat are expected to sit down with Lee on Friday in Chicago -- it was uncertain who would go first -- before Lee travels to Minnesota on Saturday to speak to the Timberwolves.
Lee is one of the keys to the Knicks' free-agency plans because he can be used in a sign-and-trade deal in which he would receive a six-year contract with 10.5 percent annual raises. If Lee signs with another team and there is no sign-and-trade, he could sign for a maximum of five years with 8 percent annual raises.
"We're going to stay in communication [with New York], but they're kind of doing their thing and we're kind of doing our thing, and we'll see if the timing works out for each other," Bartelstein said. "This stuff, something could happen at any time. There's no way to predict the timing of it."
Lee, a five-year veteran, averaged 20.2 points (15th in the NBA) and 11.7 rebounds (fourth in the league) last season in 81 games, all starts, with 53 double-doubles and 32 20-point, 10-rebound games.
He also became the first member of the Knicks since 2001 to be selected an All-Star.
Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN.com.