Long-held dreams will come true _ and crumble _ as James, other NBA stars enter free agency

LeBron leads free-agent crop ready to change NBA

NEW YORK — Let the bidding and begging begin.

The NBA’s free agency period has opened, with LeBron James leading perhaps the deepest group of players to ever hit the market.

Teams could begin making their pitches at 12:01 a.m. EDT Thursday, and some were getting started quickly.

Atlanta’s Joe Johnson was expecting early visits in Los Angeles from the Hawks and New York Knicks, with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting that the Hawks were prepared to offer the All-Star shooting guard a maximum salary contract.

Things get interesting Thursday, when the New Jersey Nets and Knicks are scheduled for visits to Ohio to meet with James, the two-time MVP who heads the class.

It includes other All-Stars such as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer; veterans such as Shaquille O’Neal and Ray Allen; and young up-and-comers such as Rudy Gay and David Lee.

“We’ve never had anything like this in my time that I can remember,” New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn said. “There have been big-time free agents before, but never this many teams that are trying to woo them. So it’s unprecedented.”

Teams were headed around the country to meet with players, though the Mavs were saved a long trip when Nowitzki informed them he would meet with them Thursday in Dallas — with the message arriving while president Donnie Nelson was at the airport preparing for a flight to Germany.

Showing they planned to be active, the Knicks confirmed on Twitter they would also meet with Wizards swingman Mike Miller in Los Angeles.