MIAMI (AP) — Shooting guard Dion Waiters has been suspended by the Miami Heat for their season opener against Memphis on Wednesday night for what was described as "conduct detrimental to the team.""There were a number of unacceptable incidents this week, culminating with his unprofessional conduct on the bench last night," Heat President Pat Riley said in a statement Saturday night. "As a consequence, I feel we had to suspend him."Waiters got into a discussion with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra during Friday night's game, though the Heat did not specifically address what any of the incidents were.Waiters played only 10 minutes in Friday night's preseason finale — nine players got more, not even including Jimmy Butler, who got the night off for rest. Waiters averaged 14.3 minutes per game in four preseason appearances.Waiters is the second player to face publicly announced punishment from the Heat already this season. James Johnson was not permitted to attend training camp because his level of conditioning was not at the team's standards, and returned to practice late in the preseason.Waiters is entering his fourth season with the Heat. He's missed 126 of a possible 246 games over the last three years, largely because of ankle injuries and a subsequent surgery on his foot and ankle.Waiters averaged 12.0 points last season in 44 games. The Heat said he will be permitted to return to the team on Thursday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the 2020-21 contract options on three of the team's top young players — forward John Collins and guards Trae Young and Kevin Huerter.The team exercised the fourth-year option on Collins and third-year options on Young and Huerter.Collins led the Hawks with his averages of 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds last season. Young was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection after averaging 19.1 points and 8.1 assists.Huerter was a second team all-rookie pick after scoring 9.6 points per game.Also Saturday, the Hawks signed forward Mark Ogden Jr. Later in the day, the team requested waivers on Ogden and Kenny Gabriel, who signed on Friday.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Pascal Siakam is officially a major part of the Toronto Raptors' long-term plans.The Raptors and Siakam have agreed on a four-year, $130 million maximum extension, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the signing has not been publicly announced.ESPN first reported the agreement.Siakam was a breakout player — and the league's Most Improved Player — last season for the NBA champions, averaging career highs of 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He is entering his fourth season and now is under contract to the Raptors through the 2023-24 season.Siakam was even better for the Raptors in the playoffs last spring, averaging 19 points and 7.1 rebounds in 24 games as Toronto went on to win its first title.During the offseason, Siakam said he still believes his best basketball is ahead of him."I don't feel no limits at all," Siakam said. "I feel like it's only the beginning for me and there is so much more... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have exercised the 2020-21 contract options on three of the team's top young players — forward John Collins and guards Trae Young and Kevin Huerter.The team exercised the fourth-year option on Collins and third-year options on Young and Huerter.Collins led the Hawks with his averages of 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds last season. Young was an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection after averaging 19.1 points and 8.1 assists.Huerter was a second team all-rookie pick after scoring 9.6 points per game.Also Saturday, the Hawks signed forward Mark Ogden Jr. The 6-foot-9 Ogden, from Grossmont College in California and Dixie State in Utah, played overseas the last three years.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The crowd screamed for Ben Simmons to shoot as he dribbled near the perimeter in a preseason game against a team from China. Joel Embiid motioned for him to let it fly. Simmons took a couple more steps, stopped and popped.Swish.Fans celebrated Simmons' first career 3-pointer as if the Philadelphia 76ers had just won Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Embiid ran over and hugged him, teammates rushed the court and the internet went wild.It's been nearly impossible to mention Simmons without adding jump shot in the conversation since his debut in October 2017. The 23-year-old Simmons is considered one of the best players in the world despite his reluctance to shoot jumpers in his first two seasons.The All-Star point guard told The Associated Press last month that he allowed criticism to bother him, but he "fell in love with the game again" over the summer during the countless hours he spent in the gym working on his shot.Simmons realizes adding a jumper would make him a complete... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Blake Griffin was asked to recall the early stages of Derrick Rose's career, when the dynamic point guard won an MVP for the Chicago Bulls at age 22."His run in Chicago was special," Griffin said. "I don't want to say it caught us off guard, because it was kind of a nice natural progression for him, but just everything he did was at a higher level than anybody else. He was great for the game of basketball — is great for the game of basketball."The Detroit Pistons are hoping Griffin was right to use the present tense after signing Rose as a free agent this offseason. Now 31, Rose is far removed from his days as an MVP, but the Pistons saw enough upside to bring him in. Detroit also added 38-year-old Joe Johnson.The Pistons now have the top picks from the 2008 and 2009 drafts in Rose and Griffin. Rose, Griffin and Johnson have combined for 16 All-Star selections, although the last time they made it at the same time was in 2012. How this trio will do in 2019 is anyone's guess.Detroit's... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — A group of fans held signs, wore shirts and chanted support for Hong Kong and Tibet in the Brooklyn Nets' first game since returning from China.The fans sat behind the backboard near the Nets' bench at Barclays Center in their 123-107 loss to Toronto on Friday night.The Nets returned this week after playing exhibition games against the Los Angeles Lakers in Shanghai and Shenzhen. The games were not televised in China after relations between the NBA and Chinese officials became strained following Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's tweet in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.One sign was aimed at LeBron James and Nets owner Joe Tsai, the co-founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, who were critical of Morey's tweet. Tsai wrote a Facebook post explaining why the since-deleted tweet was upsetting to the Chinese.Nets guard Kyrie Irving said he understood why the protesters came to the game."I think that when you think about communities across... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons have exercised their team option for the 2020-21 season on Luke Kennard.The Pistons also announced Thursday that they signed guard Craig Sword and waived Todd Withers.The 6-foot-6 Kennard averaged 9.7 points last season and shot 39% from 3-point range. He was a first-round pick by Detroit in 2017.Sword spent the last two seasons with the Erie Bayhawks of the G League.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Two-time All-Star forward Luol Deng has signed with the Chicago Bulls and retired as a member of the team that drafted him.The No. 7 overall pick in 2004, the 34-year-old Deng averaged 14.8 points and 6.1 rebounds over 15 seasons with Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota.He was part of seven playoff teams — six with Chicago, one with Miami — and averaged 15.9 points and 6.7 rebounds in 62 postseason games. From South Sudan, he played one season at Duke before entering the NBA draft.Deng was an All-Star on the Bulls' 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams, leading the league in minutes per game both seasons. He was traded to Cleveland in January 2014.The Bulls said Thursday they will honor Deng at a game this season.Chicago also waived Perrion Callandret.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their contract option on forward Kyle Kuzma for the 2020-21 season.The Lakers made the move Thursday on Kuzma, who is currently out with a foot injury suffered while playing for USA Basketball during the summer.Kuzma was the 27th overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Utah. He has become a solid NBA scorer, putting up 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds last season while starting 68 games for the Lakers.Kuzma will make over $3.56 million next season in the fourth-year option of his rookie contract. He is making $1.97 million this season.The Lakers expect Kuzma to return to action soon. He has been cleared for noncontact basketball activities.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_NBA

Bradley Beal signed a two-year extension worth nearly $72 million with Washington on Thursday, a major victory for the Wizards and a move that will keep the All-Star guard out of free agency for at least the next three summers.Beal still had two years left on his existing contract. The extension kicks in for the 2021-22 season, has a player option for the following year and means that Beal won't be part of what has been shaping up to be an NBA free-agent extravaganza in the summer of 2021."It's a blessing, man — for one, that they even consider me a franchise player, a piece of this organization in itself," Beal said at a news conference in Washington. "And I was prideful of that. You don't get that type of love and respect and responsibility from anywhere."The Wizards were willing to give Beal a three-year extension that would have been worth about $111 million. Beal went the two-year route and that protects his future options — he could opt out of the deal in the summer of 2022, coinciding... [More]

Bradley Beal has agreed on a two-year extension worth nearly $72 million with Washington, a major victory for the Wizards and a move that will keep the All-Star guard out of free agency for at least the next three summers.The agreement was confirmed Thursday by Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein. ESPN first reported the details of the extension.Beal still had two years left on his existing contract. The extension kicks in for the 2021-22 season, has a player option for the following year and means that Beal won't be part of what has been shaping up to be an NBA free-agent extravaganza in the summer of 2021.The Wizards were willing to give Beal a three-year extension that would have been worth about $111 million over three years. Beal went the two-year route and that protects his future options — he could opt out of the deal in the summer of 2022, coinciding with his 10th year in the league.The 10-year milestone is significant: By having that many years of service, Beal would be eligible to... [More]

Bradley Beal has agreed on a two-year extension worth nearly $72 million with Washington, a major victory for the Wizards and a move that will keep the All-Star guard out of free agency for at least the next three summers.The agreement was confirmed Thursday by Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein. ESPN first reported the details of the extension.Beal still had two years left on his existing contract. The extension kicks in for the 2021-22 season, has a player option for the following year and means that Beal won't be part of what has been shaping up to be an NBA free-agent extravaganza in the summer of 2021.The Wizards were willing to give Beal a three-year extension that would have been worth about $111 million over three years. Beal went the two-year route and that protects his future options — he could opt out of the deal in the summer of 2022, coinciding with his 10th year in the league.The 10-year milestone is significant: By having that many years of service, Beal would be eligible to sign a new deal worth in excess of $250 million over the next five seasons.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LeBron James had time, and plenty of it, to figure out how best to answer the questions he knew were coming. Long days in hotel rooms in China and a long flight home gave him every chance to carefully craft a response to a controversy he had no part in making but one that directly affects his bank account.Instead James chose to wing it. He blamed the messenger instead of addressing the message.And the LeBron brand may never be the same.He's still one of the greatest basketball players ever, that hasn't changed. But in the space of just a few sentences Monday night James may have abdicated his spot as someone who should be listened carefully to when it comes to social issues.No one was asking James to come out in support of protesters in Hong Kong. That was always a bridge too far for a player who makes millions in the lucrative Chinese market.But a player who has always prided himself on speaking out on issues ranging from Trayvon Martin to Colin Kaepernick should have made sure in this... [More]

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Davis hopes to return to the Los Angeles Lakers' lineup for their next preseason game after confirming his thumb injury isn't serious.Davis went through a full practice with the Lakers on Tuesday.The Lakers' superstar newcomer jammed his thumb while playing in an exhibition game in China last week. An MRI determined the injury was only a sprain, which is what Davis suspected all along.He sat out of Monday's game at Staples Center against the Golden State Warriors, but he hopes to play in the rematch on Wednesday night.Coach Frank Vogel says the team hasn't decided whether Davis will play Wednesday.Kyle Kuzma also has been cleared for noncontact practice activity in his return from a foot injury.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HONG KONG (AP) — When the ball smashed into a photo of LeBron James' face stuck above the hoop and dropped into the basket, the Hong Kong protesters cheered.They also trampled on jerseys bearing his name and gathered in a semicircle to watch one burn.James' standing among basketball fans in Hong Kong took a hit because of comments the NBA star made about free speech. Fans gathered on courts amid Hong Kong's high-rise buildings Tuesday to vent their anger.The player for the Los Angeles Lakers touched a nerve among protesters for suggesting that free speech can have negative consequences. They have been protesting for months in defense of the same freedom that James said can carry "a lot of negative."The protesters chanted support for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, something of a hero among demonstrators in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory for having tweeted on Oct. 4 in support of their struggle, infuriating authorities in China.What the crowd of approximately 200 people... [More]

HONG KONG (AP) — When the ball smashed into a photo of LeBron James' face stuck above the hoop and dropped into the basket, the Hong Kong protesters cheered.They also trampled on jerseys bearing his name and gathered in a semicircle to watch one burn.James' standing among basketball fans in Hong Kong took a hit because of comments the NBA star made about free speech. Fans gathered on courts amid Hong Kong's high-rise buildings Tuesday to vent their anger.The player for the Los Angeles Lakers touched a nerve among protesters for suggesting that free speech can have negative consequences. They have been protesting for months in defense of the same freedom that James said can carry "a lot of negative."The protesters chanted support for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, something of a hero among demonstrators in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory for having tweeted on Oct. 4 in support of their struggle, infuriating authorities in China.What the crowd of approximately 200 people... [More]

HONG KONG (AP) — When the ball smashed into a photo of LeBron James' face stuck above the hoop and dropped into the basket, the Hong Kong protesters cheered.They also trampled on jerseys bearing his name and gathered in a semicircle to watch one burn.James' standing among basketball fans in Hong Kong took a hit because of comments the NBA star made about free speech. Fans gathered on courts amid Hong Kong's high-rise buildings Tuesday to vent their anger.The player for the Los Angeles Lakers touched a nerve among protesters for suggesting that free speech can have negative consequences. They have been protesting for months in defense of the same freedom that James said can carry "a lot of negative."The protesters chanted support for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, something of a hero among demonstrators in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory for having tweeted in support of their struggle, infuriating authorities in China.What the crowd of approximately 200 people chanted... [More]

HONG KONG (AP) — When the ball smashed into a photo of LeBron James' face stuck above the hoop and dropped into the basket, the Hong Kong protesters cheered.They also trampled on jerseys bearing his name and gathered in a semicircle to watch one burn.James' standing among basketball fans in Hong Kong took a hit because of comments the NBA star made about free speech. Fans gathered on courts amid Hong Kong's high-rise buildings Tuesday to vent their anger.The player for the Los Angeles Lakers touched a nerve among protesters for suggesting that free speech can have negative consequences. They have been protesting for months in defense of the same freedom that James said can carry "a lot of negative."The protesters chanted support for Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, something of a hero among demonstrators in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory for having tweeted in support of their struggle, infuriating authorities in China.What the crowd of approximately 200 people chanted... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James believes Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey "was either misinformed or not really educated on the situation" regarding the potential consequences of his actions when he tweeted in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.In his first public comments since the Los Angeles Lakers returned home from a strange weeklong tour of China immediately after Morey's incendiary tweet , James' lengthy answer to a question about whether Morey should be punished for his tweet didn't appear to specifically address the merits of Morey's support of Hong Kong sovereignty.The Lakers superstar instead characterized the international incident caused by Morey's tweet as a cautionary tale about the power of social media."Yes, we do have freedom of speech," James said. "But at times, there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others, when you only think about yourself. I don't want to get into a word or sentence feud with... [More]