A: And so it begins, what will be a month of speculation about Kevin Durant's free-agency future, with the Heat a team that seemingly finds its way into just about every free-agency equation, even when the salary-cap math might not initially add up. The problem is that there still will be that one-month hands-off period, with plenty of time for this sting from blowing a 3-1 lead to wear off. If you put Pat Riley in a room with Durant at this very moment, I wouldn't put anything past Riley. But there remains plenty of time for Durant to reflect, and plenty of time for the Thunder to argue their case, as is their right with their own impending free agent (I doubt Durant would be as evasive with the Thunder as LeBron James was with Riley prior to his 2014 free agency). This is where having someone with a connection to Durant on your roster would help. But there is no such Dwyane Wade connection to Durant as there was to both LeBron and Chris Bosh in 2010. And it didn't sound like Wade was in recruiting mode when he mentioned two weeks ago how difficult it is to recruit when so many on the Heat roster also are free agents. Still, players have been known to work in stealth mode before. So who knows? Still, if Warriors-Cavaliers are Topic A for the NBA over these next two weeks, then put Durant's future as Topic 1A. And so, the speculation begins.