Carmelo Anthony and Lebron James
Miami Heat's LeBron James (L) shares the court with New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony playing for Team Melo during the first half of the Team Philly-Team Melo exhibition game at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sept. 25, 2011. REUTERS/Brad Bower

The Miami Heat are exploring the possibility of making an ambitious run to acquire New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony, ESPN.go.com reports.

While overcoming a 2-1 NBA Finals deficit to the San Antonio Spurs is currently at the top of the Heat's to-do list, discussions have started within the organization about attempting to turn their Big Three players into a Big Four, sources close to the matter said.

According to ESPN, the possibility of making a run for Anthony would require that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all opt out of current contracts by the end of June and probably take other salary cuts in new deals that begin next season in order to make it possible for the Heat to offer Anthony a representative first-year salary.

The Heat can't make formal contact with Anthony until July 1 and can do that only if the Knicks scoring sensation opts out of the final year of his current contract.

According to sources, Anthony has until June 23 to notify the Knicks about his intentions.

NBA Basketball