Bosh Joins Wade in Miami, Boozer Agrees to Deal With Bulls, LeBron Considering Miami

Ending months of speculation, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh made their decisions official on Wednesday, saying their trip through the world of NBA free agency would end in Miami. Wade is staying, Bosh is coming, and now they’re waiting – like the rest of the league – to see what LeBron James will do Thursday night when he unveils his plans in a special to be televised on ESPN.

“I’m so glad it’s over,” Wade said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I had to do what was best for me. And I know I did that.”

Wade does not know what the terms of the next contract he’ll sign with Miami will be, nor when he’ll sign the paper. Bosh doesn’t have terms of his next deal done either. It’s all contingent on what James says Thursday night, and Wade insisted he knows nothing about what the two-time MVP will say or where he’ll be saying it from.

“I won’t speak to him again until he makes his decision,” Wade said in the AP interview. “And when it’s over, I will congratulate him. But I will be watching.”

Either way, Wade is already thrilled with how free agency played out.

He, James and Bosh were the three kingpins of this long-hyped market, a trio of All-Stars who came into the league together seven years ago and structured their last contracts just to hit the open market together this summer, the last under the current terms of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

They’ve talked often about playing together.

Now, the ball is clearly in King James’ court.

With two of the big three free agents off the table, all eyes now turn to LeBron James. The star forward has revealed when he will announce where he’ll play next season, but the deliberations in James’ camp regarding where continue.

Amid a growing sense among rival executives that James intends to stay with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that James is still seriously considering joining forces with Wade and Bosh in Miami and had a discussion about the possibility that all three could wind up playing together for the Heat on a conference call at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.

ESPN’s Shelley Smith is also reporting that LeBron to Miami is a “strong possibility.”

As we ended the sixth full day of free agency, multiple sources told ESPN.com that James is not expected to reveal his decision until his official announcement on ESPN on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.

“I expect us to compete for a championship,” Bosh told ESPN. “I think both Dwyane and I, we both wanted an opportunity where right away we would be competing. … We’re ready to sacrifice a lot of things in order to do that. It’s not about the money. It’s not about anything else except for winning. I’m a winner. Dwyane’s a winner. We’re going to bring winning to Miami.”

They’re going to need some help.

Regardless of whether James comes to Miami, the Heat still have only four players currently in the picture for this coming season: Wade, Bosh, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers. Miami is deeply in discussions with several free agents, including Brendan Haywood, Mike Miller, Raymond Felton and Udonis Haslem – whom Wade has played with in all seven of his previous seasons.

“We’ll see what the best thing is for us to win,” Wade told the AP. “I’m going to make a lot of money, no matter what happens. I’ve been blessed. I’m not counting every dollar and every cent. Let’s sit down, let’s see what the best thing is for us for the long haul. This is about longevity. That’s why I wanted to play with another superstar. That’s why I wanted to build a team.”

The Raptors do have several sign-and-trade options from teams interested in acquiring Bosh, who averaged career-bests of 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds last season for Toronto.

Miami came into the free-agent period with around $44 million of cap space, not including $16 million or so earmarked for Wade, thanks to years of avoiding just about any deal where money would have been committed for the 2010-11 season.

“We want to build a dynasty,” Heat president Pat Riley had told fans entering free agency.

Bosh and Wade would be a pretty good start.

“We are engaged in free agent negotiations with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh,” was the only statement from Riley on Wednesday. “We intend to enter into player contracts with Dwyane and Chris once the moratorium period has ended.”

Boozer Agrees to Deal With Bulls

Carlos Boozer is headed to the Chicago Bulls.

A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the two-time All-Star forward agreed to a deal on Wednesday and is leaving the Utah Jazz after six seasons. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the contract doesn’t become official until Thursday, did not reveal the terms.

Boozer becomes the latest chip to fall on a day when Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh confirmed they will play in Miami next season.

The jewel of this star-studded free-agent class, LeBron James, is still out there. While everyone awaits his announcement on Thursday night, the Bulls at least know they’re not coming away empty-handed after landing Boozer.

With about $30 million in salary cap room, the Bulls were looking to make a big splash in free agency after back-to-back first-round playoff exits. Adding Boozer strengthens their standing in the Eastern Conference – and maybe makes them more attractive to James, his former teammate.

Boozer averaged 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds last season. His arrival gives the Bulls a formidable pair in the frontcourt with Joakim Noah, not to mention a good pick-and-roll partner for All-Star point guard Derrick Rose.

There is some irony to this. Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson’s brother, Jim, was Cleveland’s general manager when Boozer left the Cavaliers following the 2003-04 season.

Cleveland, which could have exercised a one-year option after Boozer’s second season, thought they had a six-year, $41 million agreement in place and let him hit the market. Boozer wound up accepting a six-year, $68 million dollar contract as a restricted free agent that Cleveland chose not to match.

Jim Paxson is now a Bulls’ consultant and scout.

Teams spent years trying to create enough cap space to land the likes of James, Bosh and Wade, who came into the league seven years ago and structured their contracts to hit the market this summer – the last under the current collective bargaining agreement.

The free agent list included other stars such as Amare Stoudemire, who left Phoenix for the New York Knicks, along with Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Boston’s Paul Pierce. They wound up staying with their teams.

The Bulls, meanwhile, put themselves in position to be major players by allowing Ben Gordon to sign with Detroit a year ago and trading John Salmons during the season. That gave them enough room to offer a maximum contract, but they didn’t stop there.

They agreed to trade Kirk Hinrich and his $9 million salary along with the 17th pick to Washington on draft day, putting them about $30 million under the cap. That deal becomes official Thursday, when the Wizards can take on Hinrich’s salary for next season without having to send back something of similar financial value.