Wade, LeBron, Bosh and Joe Johnson (?) Walk Into a Bar ...

Lookie, lookie! It's making the rounds that Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson will be in contact over their free agency futures. One can only imagine some smokey basement with one light dangling over a card table and those four going over their plans to loot the NBA.

Of course it won't happen like that. This is 2010 and there will be texts exchanged, emails sent and tweets tweeted. For anyone naive enough to believe that those four will all go to the top bidder is moronic. What it will be is Wade trying to talk LeBron or Bosh or Johnson to go to Miami and join his Heat. LeBron will be trying to get either Wade or Bosh of Johnson to join him in Cleveland, Chicago, Los Angeles or New Jersey. Bosh and Johnson won't be the commanding forces in free agency, but they will really tip the scales wherever they go.

I think Wade stays in Miami. He loves playing there, it's a great city and a nice organization. He won a title there and could solidify his legacy as one of South Florida's biggest heroes. I have no idea about LeBron. He should go to Miami and join Wade or stay in Cleveland and try to recruit somebody to join him. Those are his best chances to (a) get paid and (b) be on a winner.

Bosh has a lot going for him. Obviously Wade would love him in Miami. LeBron would love him in Cleveland or Chicago. He and Joe Johnson could head off to New York or New Jersey. Or he could convince the Lakers to do a sign and trade deal with the Raptors that would most likely send Andrew Bynum to Toronto. I think Bosh is more likely to see where the first dominoes fall before committing to anything. Whomever loses in the Bosh sweepstakes will then look to Amare Stoudamire or Carlos Boozer.

Johnson is the odd man in this. He doesn't really fit on a team with Wade or LeBron. Johnson would be better off going somewhere that needs a scoring wingman. Which is exactly what teams like the Clippers, Nets and Knicks need. He could end up as a sub-max player that could put an already good team over the edge via a sign-and-trade. (read: Dallas). But I think he heads to Chicago ... provided LeBron isn't already going there.

These are very uneducated guesses so excuse me if I don't punish myself for getting this wrong. This will be the most interesting free agency period since 1999.