Heat planning to pursue Melo in free agency?

Heat officials and the team's leading players have already started to explore their options for creating sufficient financial flexibility to make an ambitious run at adding New York Knicks scoring machine Carmelo Anthony this summer in free agency.

The mere concept would require the star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to all opt out of their current contracts by the end of the month and likely take further salary reductions in new deals that start next season to give Miami the ability to offer Anthony a representative first-year salary.

James, Wade and Bosh all have until the end of June, sources say, to notify the Heat whether they intend to opt into their respective final years of their current contracts or become free agents this July 1.