Heat knows who has its final word

LeBron James got his third ring, or maybe you didn’t notice that he married his longtime girlfriend over the summer.

The Miami Heat is still waiting for its vows.

With James able to opt out of his contract as soon as June, there’s a lot more at stake this season than whether the Heat becomes the first team to three-peat since the Lakers in 2000-02.

Namely, Miami’s long-term future and the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.

In a good sign for the Heat, James is sounding a lot like he did after signing with the team four years ago. Asked whether he had accomplished everything he wanted with the Heat, James told reporters, “Not till I win. Not 11. Not 12. Not 13. Not 14.”

Uh-oh. He’s ticking off presumed championships again?

The Heat will happily embrace the bravado, as long as James is willing to provide it while wearing one of its jerseys.

Indiana and Chicago can only hope that hello-again seasons from their stars result in a see-ya decision from James.

The Pacers are getting back Danny Granger, the team’s leading scorer in each of the five seasons before he suffered a knee injury that cost him all but five games in 2012-13.

The Bulls return Derrick Rose, whose surgically repaired knee has looked in the preseason as if it can propel him over the John Hancock Center in a single bound.

There’s also the excess of the Brooklyn Nets, who will spend an estimated $183 million in salary and luxury taxes. But as the Lakers learned last season, a starting lineup with more stars than the Milky Way guarantees nothing.

The New York Knicks will be solid again, though calling them title contenders wouldn’t play on or off Broadway.

Ultimately, the Heat will either wilt all-comers or risk being jilted once James decides where to take his talents next summer.

ben.bolch@latimes.com