NBA Free Agent Rumors: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade To Chicago Looking Grim

LeBron James decided to keep his mouth closed when the headlines want it the most.

While the NBA Finals were looming, the King took the stand. 

Now, after the finals, it seems like he has stepped down, or is just MIA. 

In about 10 1/2 days, we'll hear back from him, hopefully.

'Bron's top three options for next season appear to be Cleveland, Chicago and New York. Among those three, LeBron's best option (if he wants to win) would hands-down be Chicago. 

There, he has Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Tom Thibodeau, who is fresh off the NBA Finals boat. New York has money and maybe more buildings than Chicago. And we can talk about what Cleveland doesn't have: a coach, a supporting cast ...

But with many sources favoring the Bulls, Chicago may be feeling too overconfident.

The organization and the city itself are banking a lot on LeBron. They've been wooing him with billboards and websites, and James has responded by whispering sweet nothings into their ears. 

And when all of Chicago's efforts to grab James go to waste, where will Chicago turn next? 

There's always Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but Chicago's chances of landing one of the top three superstars slowly seems to be slipping away. Plus, the Bulls can only afford one max-contract player, unless a sign-and-trade deal comes into play.

LeBron James

James has talked about how he wants to win, now. And he knows he can't do it in Cleveland, yet. Once the Cavs were knocked out of the playoffs, the organization has been falling apart. But that doesn't mean LeBron won't go back.

Did LeBron fall for the saying that winning isn't everything? Or did he come to the realization that building a franchise takes patience?

It took Michael Jordan seven years to build a winning franchise with the Bulls. 

LeBron is entering his eighth season with the Cavs, and maybe he can turn things around this time.

With LeBron being a hometown guy, it seems like the fans and the city are starting to get to him. Even Chicago-native Barack Obama said that he thinks Cleveland would be a better fit (and a better story) for James. 

The all-time greats like Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Kobe Bryant built a winning franchise by sticking with one team, and LeBron might want his name in that mix. 

While Chicago advertises MJ to help its cause, MJ's daunting legacy might actually scare LeBron away.

And let's not forget the other teams in the mix of landing LeBron: the Clippers, Nets, Mavs and even the Heat, which brings me to my next point.

Dwyane Wade

D-Wade seems like he's staying put. As much as Chicago can brag that it is the hometown of Wade, Wade has said that he is all about loyalty, and loyal to the Heat he may be. He told an ESPN source that he wants to be in Miami, and it strongly seems like Wade will stay there.

Why Miami? Maybe for the sole purpose of playing the magnet.

He knows he is an attractive player (to other superstars), and his master plan of bringing other free agents to the Heat might work. 

If that's so, he's bringing a whole portfolio to the so-called summit to court other players to Miami.

Chris Bosh

Chicago can forget about a LeBron-Bosh combo. 

NBA.com reported that Bosh wants to be "the man" on the team. He doesn't want to be James' or Wade's trusty sidekicks. He doesn't want to be another Shaq, Pau Gasol or Scottie Pippen. 

Bosh will be making his own calls, regardless of what the other big-name free agents decide. 

Chicago needs a strong post, and Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson don't exactly fit that piece. If they couldn't stop Shaq from posting up, how can they get past Dwight Howard and the Magic in the Eastern Conference?

While Derrick Rose may be the Bulls' seduction, Rose might hurt their chances of getting Bosh. 

Rose is "the man" in Chicago, but Bosh wants to be that center piece. He wants to be the guy who the team will build around. But the Bulls have established that they want to build around Rose and his development. 

While Chicago's salary cap space makes the Bulls a prime contender for landing one of the top free agents, their focus on LeBron can make them the losers. Only one team out of thirty (excluding combinations) will be the winner if it lands LeBron. 

If the Bulls' plan for LeBron doesn't fall through (and if whatever summit does happen), they might find themselves back in 1999, when they placed all their hope on Tracy McGrady and Tim Duncan, but instead got Ron Mercer. 

Their chances of getting Wade seem grim, and Bosh is still up in the air. 

Amare Stoudemire would be another good fit for the Bulls, but he looks like he's kind of leaning back to the Suns. 

Joe Johnson, maybe? But isn't he part of that colluding mix of free agents?

Chicago has been getting its hopes up too high, so don't be surprised if they end up disappointed.