According to the Miami Herald sources indicate the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in setting up a meeting with Heat free agent Udonis Haslem to convince the third-year forward he can be part of the team's future, and they could be prepared to offer Haslem more than the five-year, $33 million deal the Heat can offer.

Word among players is that LeBron James has become a Haslem fan after watching him the past two years and playing with him in the Rookie Challenge games the past two All-Star weekends.

Having failed to lure Allen and Redd from their current teams, the Cavaliers and new general manager Danny Ferry need to provide James with reasons to stay in Cleveland past his current contract. Cleveland already has come to terms with free agent Larry Hughes, and signing a young, workhorse power forward such as Haslem could be another measure taken. With about $28 million of space under the salary cap, the Cavaliers can still afford to sign Haslem and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas after signing Hughes.

Should Haslem, a restricted free agent, sign an offer sheet with the Cavaliers more than the amount the Heat can offer, it is believed the Heat would have to forfeit the use of its mid-level exception to match the deal (final word on that rule won't be official until the new collective bargaining agreement is completely written later this month).