NBA draft without superstar is a warmup for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade free agency sweepstakes

Before performing his duties of introducing the first-round draft picks in Thursday night's NBA draft, David Stern bumped into Kevin Durant at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

"Not a bad player," Stern said, off to the side, after saying a quick hello to Oklahoma City's budding superstar. "I think he's got a future. Maybe not in TV. But definitely in our game."

Without a LeBron James on the board, the draft was the warmup to the long-awaited start to free agency on Thursday. It already ranks as the greatest gold rush in league history, if you believe the hype. Starting with James and continuing with Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer, there's an All-Star team up for grabs.

"I think it's going to be unlike any other July 1 we've ever seen before, and unlike any other we'll ever see again," Stern said.

He's seen other free-agent bonanzas, notably 1996, when Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal were free, along with a host of All-Stars, back in the days when maximum salaries were not fixed, as they are today.

"But none this crazy," Stern said.

It's crazy and it hasn't even started. But it's been building to a frenzy because for the last two years, around 75% of the moves were done with this summer in mind. Maybe that percentage is even higher.

Any team that thinks it has a shot at James has been doing everything it can to deal off salaries and open up cap space to get itself a maximum salary slot. That continued Thursday night when Chicago was said to be dealing Kirk Hinrich to the Wizards, along with its No. 17 pick. Hinrich has been destined to leave the Loop for a long time. The Bulls viewed his remaining $17 million as a blight on their cap, but with the move they'd get to convert his money into more cap space for James, or maybe Bosh.

It's been a field day for team accountants and cap specialists. But no one really has a clue as to whether these moves will result in getting James' signature on a deal. The Bulls don't know, and the Knicks are in that same boat, too.

But shedding money is the name of the game. The day before the draft, Pat Riley dispatched Daequan Cook with Miami's No.18 pick to Oklahoma City, for a second-round pick. But Riley still is about $7 million shy of being able to re-sign Wade to a max deal, while also luring two marquee free agents to South Beach at top dollar.

"They're trying to get the big free agents to come to Miami, so it was a smart move," said Durant, in town to work for NBA TV. "And we like having draft picks, so it was a good move for us."

The Thunder is trying to add pieces around Durant, via the draft, while the Knicks, Nets, Heat and Bulls are looking to strike it rich with one bold stroke of the pen.

Durant wouldn't consider a scenario where he'll be the subject of a mass recruiting effort, even though he knows that day is coming.

"At the end of the day, I'm just worried about Oklahoma City," he said. "I'm just trying to get my situation resolved, and get an extension."

Not to worry. Oklahoma City will take care of a 21-year-old franchise player who finished second to James in the MVP voting. In the coming weeks, he'll take a break from his offseason workouts to see where some of his more famous peers will be going.

"I'm a fan of the game, so I want to see who goes where," he said. "I think Miami will end up with Carlos Boozer, to go with Wade. But I'm just guessing."

Among Durant's other guesses:

LeBron: "I think it's 50-50 between Chicago and Cleveland. And he probably doesn't even know."

Amare Stoudemire: "He'll stay in Phoenix."

Chris Bosh: "It'll be New York or Chicago. I don't see him back in Toronto."

What a shame for the Raptors and Toronto, but if Bosh were to leave, he'd follow the same trail out of town as Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, although, technically, Carter left via a trade. Big-name players just don't want to stay in Toronto, even if it's a world-class city. That's a big problem for the NBA, one it doesn't really want to talk about.

Not now, anyway. Judging from the smile on Stern's face when he was asked about free agency, all the craziness will make for boffo box office.