OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Goran Dragic has told the Miami Heat he is exercising his $19.2 million option for next season, said a person with knowledge of the situation.Dragic spent several weeks weighing his decision, the person told The Associated Press Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because neither the guard nor the team has made any public announcement about the move.Dragic was limited to 36 games for the Heat last season, averaging 13.7 points and 4.8 assists — which are also the same averages for his 11-year career with Miami, Phoenix and Houston. He had until later in the month to decide on his option, and the move means he can now be included in trades if the Heat are so inclined. He turned 33 last month and was a 2018 All-Star.Dragic said last month, "I love Miami and would love to always be in Miami."The Heat are still waiting to hear Hassan Whiteside's decision on his $27.1 million option for next season. He is expected to accept and, like Dragic, will then be in the final year of his contract. Udonis Haslem still has not said if he will be back for a 17th season and Miami has about four more weeks to decide on the guaranteed portion of Ryan Anderson's $21.3 million contract.Miami holds the No. 13 pick in next week's NBA draft.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade has gone full circle.He arrived in Miami in 2003, holding his 16-month-old son Zaire at the introductory news conference the day after the Heat drafted him and changed their franchise forever. The last time he would speak in that very same room as an active NBA player was earlier this week, when he held his 5-month-old daughter Kaavia for the farewell address.A life was starting on his way in. Another life is starting on his way out."This city has allowed me to grow," Wade said. "I hope they're proud of what they have helped me become. So, this city means everything to me. It's forever, forever, forever going to be my home. This is the end of the basketball part of me, but there's so much I want to do in this city. So much more that we can accomplish together. I definitely look forward to that."The only certainty about next season for the Heat is that Wade's jersey will be retired.The rest is anyone's guess.Even with Wade averaging 15 points and shooting a career-high... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The game had been over for at least half an hour and 2,000 people remained in the stands at AmericanAirlines Arena, all of them standing.They wore Slovenia jerseys. Miami jerseys. Dallas jerseys.And when Goran Dragic — the player of the night — emerged from the locker room for his curtain call, the roar was deafening. They jumped and chanted, all these Slovenians who made the trip to Miami to see Dragic vs. Luka Doncic, their favorite native sons, meet as NBA opponents for the first time."Unbelievable," Dragic said after escaping the throngs of people and signing dozens of their jerseys, flags, hats and, in one case, a pocketbook. "Every athlete is dreaming about this, to connect with the fans. I really appreciate them."Dragic and Doncic appreciated them as well, and the fans got the fantastic show that they were hoping to see. Dragic had his second-career triple-double — 23 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists — and he and Miami topped Doncic and Dallas 105-99 on Thursday night."It... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The playoff field is largely set.The positioning, that's still anyone's guess.So even while some of what we could have had for drama over the final 2½ weeks of the NBA regular season won't materialize — LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are already out of the playoffs, robbing us of one potential story line — the races for seedings and home-court edges are almost certain now to go down to the final days of the season.Milwaukee has the edge over all other teams in the race for the No. 1 overall seed. Dwyane Wade's career still isn't guaranteed of going past Miami's regular-season finale in Brooklyn on April 10. Golden State, bidding for a third straight NBA championship and fourth in five years, still has a fight on its hands just to get the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference."We're ready to take on any challenger," Warriors forward Draymond Green said.There have been nights where that's looked like a very accurate statement. Others, not so much.The Warriors have lost... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Goran Dragic and Derrick Jones Jr. are on their way back to the Miami Heat rotation.Both practiced Wednesday and are available for Miami's game at Philadelphia on Thursday. Dragic has played in only two of Miami's last 41 games, and underwent surgery to clean out his right knee in December. Jones got bone bruises in his right knee after a fall in a game at New York last month.Jones was originally expected to be out for at least a few more weeks. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said both have work remaining before getting back to full strength.Dragic, an All-Star last season, was averaging 15.3 points and 4.9 assists before surgery. Jones is averaging 7.4 points this season.Miami (26-30) is currently ninth in the Eastern Conference.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):10:55 p.m.Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers scored 35 points, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics added 30 and the U.S. beat the World team 161-144 in the Rising Stars game for first- and second-year players at All-Star Weekend.Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks finished with 25 points and 10 assists, and De'Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings had 15 assists for the U.S. Utah's Donovan Mitchell added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.Philadelphia's Ben Simmons led the World team with 28 points. Chicago's Lauri Markkanen had 21 points for the World squad, and Dallas' Luka Doncic had 13 points and nine assists.Both teams shot 55 percent.It was the fifth time the U.S. vs. the World format was used for what was once known as the rookie game. The World now leads the all-time series 3-2, after its two-game winning streak was snapped.___9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):9:05 p.m.Famous Los scored 22 points to win MVP honors, and the Home team held on to beat the Away team 82-80 in the All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night.Jay Williams scored 18 points for Home. Quavo scored 27 for Away and Hall of Famer Ray Allen scored 24 — though the NBA's all-time leader in 3-pointers made went 0 for 8 from beyond the arc.___8:35 p.m.NBA executive Monty McCutchen has a less-than-surprising confession.Travels get missed.McCutchen, the former referee who moved to the league office last season and now helps oversee the officiating program, said Friday that about two traveling violations get called per game on average. He says the league believes that the real number of travels that should be called is closer to five per game.The NBA is no different than any other basketball league — if every letter-of-the-law travel was called, games could last for days. But McCutchen says the league is continuing... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):8:35 p.m.NBA executive Monty McCutchen has a less-than-surprising confession.Travels get missed.McCutchen, the former referee who moved to the league office last season and now helps oversee the officiating program, said Friday that about two traveling violations get called per game on average. He says the league believes that the real number of travels that should be called is closer to five per game.The NBA is no different than any other basketball league — if every letter-of-the-law travel was called, games could last for days. But McCutchen says the league is continuing to work with its referees on making that (and every) call consistently, and remains in constant contact with teams about concerns and interpretations.But don't expect a change to a four-ref system anytime soon. The NBA has tinkered with it at the G League level, and McCutchen says "when we looked into it, accuracy did not go up."___6:45 p.m.Basketball... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):6:05 p.m.So, the best shooter in the Curry family is.... Sonya Curry?The mother of Stephen and Seth Curry sank a one-handed, half-court shot — that she took underhanded — to help her three-person team beat teams led by her NBA sons and one by her daughter to win a family shootout at a newly refurbished at a community center in Charlotte, North Carolina.It's a shot the Currys will be talking about for a long time.After sinking the shot, Sonya raced around the court as fans in the crowded center went wild. She then did a celebration dance as her sons looked on in amazement and husband Dell applauded.Seth Curry couldn't hold back laughter knowing he just got beat by his mom, a former volleyball player.The Portland guard said afterward "that was a lucky shot, but she knocked it down on the big stage. That was good to see."Seth joked getting beat by his mom was better than losing to his brother.He said, laughing, "Hey,... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):5:35 p.m.Chris Webber, Bill Fitch, Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Bobby Jones, Jack Sikma, Eddie Sutton, Ben Wallace and Teresa Weatherspoon are among the 13 finalists for enshrinement later this year into the Basketball Hall of Fame.Webber, part of Michigan's Fab Five and a five-time NBA All-Star, was a finalist for the third consecutive season.Fitch is a two-time NBA coach of the year who led Boston to the 1981 NBA championship. Johnson was a five-time NBA All-Star and an NCAA champion under John Wooden at UCLA. Jones was a four-time NBA All-Star, a huge part of Philadelphia's 1983 NBA-title-winning team and the league's sixth man award winner that season. Moncrief was a two-time defensive player of the year and a prolific scorer.Sikma was an All-Star in seven consecutive seasons, had a brilliant shooting touch and helped Seattle win the 1979 NBA title. Sutton is a College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):4:35 p.m.Warriors guard Steph Curry says it's been "really weird" staying in a downtown hotel in his hometown for the All-Star Weekend. It's leaving him a "little out of sorts."When Curry usually visits Charlotte, North Carolina, he and his family stay at a home they once owned, located about 30 minutes from downtown. Or they stay at his parents' place about 15 minutes away. But with traffic and so much going on this weekend he decided to stay downtown, close to the Spectrum Center.Curry says family is starting to trickle in and "the real fun starts in a little while."He's hosting a community service event Friday afternoon before making a 30-minute drive north to watch his alma mater, Davidson College, play against St. Joseph's. He's excited that the Wildcats will wear alternate black and yellow neon Under Armour jerseys and the same Curry 6 Coy Fish neon shoes that he'll wear at Sunday night's All-Star game, which... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):1:35 p.m.Seth Curry has a bold prediction as to who will win the NBA 3-point contest on Saturday night."Me, me, I will," Curry confidently told The Associated Press on Friday at the NBA's Day of Service at the Charlotte Convention Center.Curry will be competing in his first NBA 3-point contest against a solid field that includes older brother Stephen Curry, who won the event in 2015 and is third all-time in NBA history with 2,365 3-pointers made.Seth Curry says, "I want to win it for myself and my family" saying it has been a goal of his to win the event since he watched his father Dell Curry compete in it at the 1992 All-Star game.Stephen Curry sees the outcome a little differently. When he was asked who's going to win, he responded, "Oh I am."Game on.___11:10 a.m.Dallas rookie Luka Doncic said if he had to pick any five current international players to beat an American team of All-Stars the list would include... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Weekend (all times local):11:10 a.m.Dallas rookie Luka Doncic said if he had to pick any five current international players to beat an American team of All-Stars the list would include Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas' Kristaps Porzingis, Denver's Nikola Jokic, Miami's Goran Dragic and — he added with a smile — himself.Doncic got his first look at All-Star life Friday, when he was part of the Rising Stars practice and media session in the morning. He'll play on the World Team against the U.S. in the Rising Stars game on Friday night.Doncic says his adjustment to the NBA has gone better than expected after a very successful start to his career in which he is averaging 20.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per gameDoncic said that "it went great from the beginning" and that having the trust of his teammates made the transition easier.He said didn't expect to have as much success as he's had this season, adding "I'm surprised a... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade has missed the playoffs only twice in his career, and the Miami Heat aren't exactly looking like a sure bet to get him one more trip to the postseason before retirement.And a struggling team has no relief in sight, either.The Heat play their next six contests on the road, a daunting stretch that starts Tuesday in Portland then moves to Sacramento, Golden State, Denver and Dallas in the last game before the All-Star break — then Philadelphia for the first game after the break. Entering Monday's games, four of those teams rank among the NBA's top 10 this season, and those six foes have a combined winning percentage of .610.All that comes with Miami currently having a tenuous grip, at best, on the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference — not at all helped by losing three home games in a four-day span last week."We've got to figure it out, man," said Wade, the 13-time All-Star in his 16th and final NBA season. "Like I tell the guys, it is not going to get any easier.... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Goran Dragic had surgery to clean out his right knee on Wednesday, and the Miami Heat expect him to be out until around the All-Star break.Dragic has already missed 15 of Miami's last 22 games, most of them because of right knee soreness. He tried other treatments, including getting the knee drained, but continued issues with the knee made the scope — a 45-minute procedure performed by team surgeon Dr. Harlan Selesnick — unavoidable.Dragic played in two of the first three games on Miami's recent six-game road trip, but swelling and pain issues persisted. The Heat ultimately decided the scope was needed to determine the cause of the problem.Dragic has averaged 15.3 points and a team-high 4.9 assists for the Heat this season.___More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry says guard E'Twaun Moore is ready to return from a lower leg strain that sidelined him for two games and is expected to play Sunday night against Miami.Gentry says forward Nikola Mirotic is missing his second straight game with a right ankle injury.Moore, who has started all but three of 27 games in which he has played, has averaged 14 points per game this season. Recently he shifted into primary reserve role.Mirotic has been New Orleans fourth-leading scorer, averaging 17.4 points.Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says guard Goran Dragic is sitting out his third straight game and fourth in five because of sore right knee. Dragic is with the team on its six-game trip that ends in New Orleans and could be seen working out before tip-off.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade is back with the Miami Heat.Wade ended his paternity leave Tuesday night, checking in for the Heat midway through the first quarter of their game against the Brooklyn Nets. He said his wife and their daughter are doing well, which allowed him to feel comfortable resuming his season after a seven-game hiatus."I'm going to obviously miss them," Wade said. "It was tough leaving my little girl and my wife, but I've got to get back to work and I'll see them again soon."Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union-Wade welcomed Kaavia James Union Wade into the world on Nov. 7. Wade had been in Los Angeles with them since then, and flew back to Miami on Monday.His return is most certainly welcome in Miami. The Heat went 2-5 in his time away, falling to 6-10 this season entering the game against the Nets. They were playing Tuesday without guards Goran Dragic (knee), Tyler Johnson (hamstring) and Dion Waiters (ankle recovery from last season)."There's a human element to this business... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade is back with the Miami Heat after missing nearly two weeks for the birth of his daughter.Wade went through Miami's gameday shootaround and will play Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets. He said his wife and their daughter are doing well, which allowed him to feel comfortable to resume his season."I'm going to obviously miss them," Wade said. "It was tough leaving my little girl and my wife, but I've got to get back to work and I'll see them again soon."Wade was away from the team for about two weeks because of the birth of his daughter. Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union-Wade welcomed Kaavia James Union Wade into the world on Nov. 7. Wade had been in Los Angeles with them since then, and flew back to Miami on Monday.His return is most certainly welcome in Miami. The Heat went 2-5 in his time away, falling to 6-10 this season. They'll play Tuesday without guards Goran Dragic (knee), Tyler Johnson (hamstring) and Dion Waiters (ankle recovery from last season)."There's... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Josh Richardson's shoe toss was predictably costly.The NBA fined the Miami Heat guard $25,000 on Monday, one day after he threw one of his sneakers several rows into the stands midway through the fourth quarter of a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.Richardson was ejected as part of that outburst, which started after he thought he got fouled moments earlier and nothing was called. It was a frustrating night in many respects for the Heat, who lost 113-97 and fell to 6-10 on the season."I can't really do anything about it at this point," said Richardson, who spoke with NBA officials by phone earlier Monday to give his side of the story before the discipline was meted out. "I'm just going to learn from it and go forward."Heat coach Erik Spoelstra lauded Richardson's competitiveness but did not give him a pass for throwing something into the crowd — and stressed that things have to start changing for Miami soon. The Heat play host to Brooklyn on Tuesday night."There's some behavior... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade missed Miami's game against San Antonio on Wednesday night for personal reasons.It's the first game Wade has missed this season, his 16th and final in the NBA. He's averaging 14.3 points on 45 percent shooting in nine games, all of them as a reserve.The Heat were also without starting point guard Goran Dragic, out with a sore right knee, and Dion Waiters and James Johnson remain out for the foreseeable future as they recover from surgeries. Heat center Hassan Whiteside returned to the starting lineup after sitting Monday with knee pain.The Spurs not only got point guard Derrick White (heel) back for the first time this season, but he was in the starting lineup. Pau Gasol was out with a sore right foot and Rudy Gay was sidelined with a right heel problem.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports