National Basketball Association

Big Four? Heat reportedly interested in bringing in Carmelo Anthony

Published Jun. 11, 2014 9:31 p.m. ET

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The Miami Heat are currently in the middle of the NBA Finals, battling the San Antonio Spurs in hopes of grabbing their third straight championship. But that hasn't stopped the rumor machine from speculating just how good they could be next year.

According to an ESPN.com report, the Heat have thought about the upcoming free agency period -- which begins July 1 -- and are interested in finding a way to bring in current New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.

The Heat would have to make a series of moves in order to bring in Anthony. The team currently has no cap space and is projected to be about $7 million below the luxury tax threshold for next season.

As laid out in the ESPN.com report, current Miami stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (as well as some other Heat players) would all need to opt out of their current contracts, then agree to new deals worth less money, and the team would hope those new deals would entice Anthony to sign with the Heat for less than he could get from other teams.

Another wrinkle in the plan is that Anthony must opt out of the final year of his contract -- which would pay him $23.3 million -- with the Knicks to become a free agent. Knicks president Phil Jackson is hoping to convince Anthony to stay at least one more year.