The past few weeks have been a blur to Zion Williamson.Picked No. 1 in the NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. Signed his first pro contract that could be worth as much as $45 million over the next four years. Went to summer league and got hurt after nine minutes. Considered playing for USA Basketball in China this summer. Landed a massive endorsement deal with Jordan Brand. Became very rich very quickly.And now, a video game deal.Williamson has signed with 2K, he and the video-game giant announced Tuesday, and the former Duke standout will make his video-game debut in NBA 2K20 when it launches on Sept. 6."It's crazy," Williamson said. "None of this will ever seem normal to me."A person familiar with the terms said Williamson and 2K agreed on a three-year contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the deal have not been released. It's the latest major deal in a rapidly growing off-court enterprise for Williamson, perhaps the most celebrated... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Hassan Whiteside is heading to the Portland Trail Blazers, as the Miami Heat continue reshaping their roster.A person with knowledge of the situation said Monday that the Heat have agreed to trade Whiteside to the Trail Blazers for Meyers Leonard and Moe Harkless. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal is still pending NBA approval.Whiteside is entering the final season of a four-year, $98 million contract. He lost his starting spot to Bam Adebayo in the second half of last season, but figures to offer frontline depth to a Trail Blazers team that lost center Jusuf Nurkic to a broken leg late last season.ESPN first reported the details of the agreement.Miami made the deal a day after agreeing to the framework of a move that will also bring Jimmy Butler to the Heat via trade with Philadelphia. The particulars of that trade were still being worked on Monday.Whiteside averaged 12.3 points and a team-best 11.3 rebounds last season, appearing... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says the Miami Heat have agreed to trade Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers for Meyers Leonard and Moe Harkless.The trade was agreed to Monday and is still pending NBA approval, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it has not been finalized.Whiteside is entering the final season of a four-year, $98 million contract. He lost his starting spot to Bam Adebayo in the second half of last season, but figures to offer frontline depth to a Trail Blazers team that lost center Jusuf Nurkic to a broken leg late last season.Leonard and Harkless are also in the final year of their contracts.ESPN first reported the agreement.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Golden State owner and CEO Joe Lacob often uses the same phrase when asked about how much money the Warriors are willing to spend to keep a championship-contending roster together."Whatever it takes," Lacob says.In the NBA, those words have never been as weighty.The summer spending starts Sunday in the NBA, with teams and players set to reach agreements on more than $2 billion — maybe even more than $3 billion — in new deals over the next few days. It's a risk-reward play, one where teams must dig deeply into their pockets to land the best players and hope that those massive financial commitments don't end up crippling their franchise for years.The Warriors are likely to offer Kevin Durant a $221 million, five-year deal that will come with two big pills for the team to swallow. One, he'll be on a $38 million scholarship next season while he recovers from Achilles surgery and cannot play. And two, Durant would be owed more than $50 million when his then-35-year-old self plays the final year... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Hassan Whiteside is not leaving the final year of his Miami Heat deal on the table.A person with knowledge of the situation said Friday that Whiteside is exercising his $27.1 million option for next season in Miami. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the Heat nor Whiteside announced the decision publicly.The move was not a surprise. It'll be the final year of Whiteside's four-year, $98 million contract with the Miami, and the salary he'll command next season will keep him as the highest-paid player on the Heat roster.Whiteside averaged 12.3 points and a team-best 11.3 rebounds last season, appearing in 72 games and starting 53 of those. He also averaged only 23 minutes per game, and at times expressed his displeasure about not having a larger role."He's going to come to training camp like everybody else this year and earn it," Heat President Pat Riley said Friday, several hours before the option was exercised.For his career, Whiteside has averaged 13.4 points and 11.4 rebounds over parts of seven seasons with Miami and Sacramento. He led the NBA in blocks per game in the 2015-16 season, then led the league in rebounds per game the following season.He's third on Miami's all-time blocks list behind Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade, and fifth on the team's all-time rebound list behind Udonis Haslem, Mourning, Rony Seikaly and Wade.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says Hassan Whiteside has told the Miami Heat that he is exercising his $27.1 million player option for next season.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because neither the Heat nor Whiteside announced the decision publicly.Whiteside is entering the last season on a four-year, $98 million deal with Miami. He averaged 12.3 points and a team-best 11.3 rebounds last season, appearing in 72 games and starting 53 of those.Whiteside will be the highest-paid player on the Heat next season. For his career, he's averaged 13.4 points and 11.4 rebounds over parts of seven seasons.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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) — A flight was awaiting Miami Heat President Pat Riley on Saturday, just as he hoped.It just wasn't to Toronto or Milwaukee for Game 1 of a playoff series. That's the problem.Riley's second home in Malibu, California, is one of his happy places — though with the NBA playoffs starting this weekend, Malibu is about the last place he wants be right now. The playoffs aren't on Riley's calendar this season, so he's taking 10 blue notebooks to Malibu and plans to fill them with ideas on how to make sure that's not the case in 2020."I'm going to write and write and write and write," Riley said. "That's where we are for the next couple of weeks. Once the hangover subsides, then we'll have more coherent thought."A challenging offseason awaits the Heat, who went 39-43 this season and will return for training camp in about five months without Dwyane Wade — probably their best player this season, and at times certainly their most important player. Wade is retiring, and if the Heat have plans... [More]

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]

Utah center and reigning NBA defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert was moved to tears Friday when discussing his disappointment about not being selected for the All-Star Game, saying his omission suggests that excelling on defense isn't valued.Gobert is fourth in the NBA in blocks per game, and fifth in the league in rebounds per game. He's also shooting a league-high 65 percent from 2-point range this season."I feel disrespected," Gobert told reporters in Salt Lake City. "Disrespectful, not only towards me but towards the team, the organization and towards the game. All the coaches preach about defense. Every day they talk about defense, they talk about how important it is to get stops in order to win basketball games. And when it's time to vote, they they're not able to reward the best defensive player in the world."Gobert was not selected by the league's coaches as an All-Star reserve; those picks were unveiled Thursday, though the vote totals were not disclosed. He also finished... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Hassan Whiteside has big goals.He desperately wants to be an All-Star, especially this season with the game in Charlotte, just a few miles from his hometown. He wants to be the league's defensive player of the year. He's already won an NBA rebound title and a blocked-shot title, albeit in different seasons, and now wants those crowns in the same year — something only five other men have accomplished.Nights like Wednesday make him believe all those things are possible.Nights like Wednesday also remind the Miami Heat what they know is possible from their center.Whiteside was brilliant: 29 points, 20 rebounds, nine blocked shots in a 95-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He's now second in the NBA at 15.2 rebounds per game, first at 3.4 blocked shots per game. And he anchored a defensive performance that allowed the Heat to become one of only five teams to win this season while scoring no more than 95 points."I'm very confident, man," Whiteside said. "My body feels great. I think... [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

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade is missing 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 again will be without Dion Waiters and James Johnson as they recover from surgeries. Goran Dragic is questionable because of knee soreness after an MRI this week revealed some inflammation. Heat center Hassan Whiteside is expected to play, after sitting Monday with knee pain.The Spurs expect to have point guard Derrick White available off the bench for his season debut. White has been sidelined by a heel injury.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — This time last year, Miami's Goran Dragic was already tired and the season was just getting started.It's very different now.When the Heat hold their first practice of the season Tuesday, Dragic expects to be as rested and ready as he's been for any training camp in years. The point guard who went to his first All-Star Game last season wore down as the year went along, in part because of the grind he put himself through last summer while leading his native Slovenia to the European championship.This summer, he played less — and is hoping that pays off this season."I feel amazing. I feel great," Dragic said. "I think one of the smartest moves I made was retiring from the national team, because I feel energized and pumped for this season. I always kind of hit a wall toward the end of a season, but I feel like this season is going to be a totally different story."At 32, Dragic is Miami's third-oldest player — among those in the Heat locker room, only Udonis Haslem (38) and the entering-his-final-season... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — When it comes to Dwyane Wade, it's clear that the Miami Heat want him back and they're willing to be patient while he figures out his plan.What's unclear is this: How much they'll have to pay.Heat President Pat Riley said Friday that he will have talks with managing general partner Micky Arison in the coming days about Wade's future. Realistically, there's only two contract options for Miami to present Wade — the $5.3 million exception, or the $2.4 million veteran minimum. The potential luxury tax implications Miami could face next year would rise in either case, and that's what the Heat are trying to avoid."That's the abyss that we all deal with in the NBA," Riley said.Riley said Miami has had talks with Wade and his agent Leon Rose over the summer, though no real detail about those conversations has been revealed by either side.Wade said at the end of last season that he wasn't certain about playing for a 16th NBA season in 2018-19, and hasn't offered anything in the... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NBA offseason has arrived, which means nothing will happen for the next four months other than a draft, three summer leagues, free agency, the creation of a new schedule, coaching hires, trades, roster reworkings and possibly movement toward letting high school graduates jump directly into the league again.It all adds up to very little downtime.There is no shortage of questions about what will happen this summer — leading off, of course, with yet another decision to be made by LeBron James about his future and where he'll play next season as he resumes his quest for more championships.Here are some non-James topics heading into the offseason:KAWHI LEONARDThe mystery of the 2017-18 NBA season is the mystery of the offseason as well. Leonard played in only nine games for the Spurs this season while dealing with a leg injury, the specifics of which are a closely guarded secret even by San Antonio's notoriously tight-lipped standards. He could get a supermax deal, he could... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Here's what Pat Riley is not going to do this summer: quit.Everything else is on the table.The Miami Heat president said Monday in his annual end-of-season assessment that no player on the team's roster will be considered untouchable this offseason — if the right deal presents itself, that is — but quickly added the caveat that the franchise is not looking for a total revamp after going 44-38 in the regular season and making the playoffs."Show me the right name, and I could be all-in on everything," Riley said. "You know me. But it's got to be the right name ... that doesn't happen very often. Our core guys, we would like to keep together, there's no doubt. We would like to keep them together and we'd like to add something to it, but that's going to be a challenge."He also was clear on his own future: The 73-year-old Riley, who has spent a half-century in the NBA as a player, coach and executive, isn't going anywhere until managing general partner Micky Arison tells him it's... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Here's what Pat Riley is not going to do this summer: quit.Everything else is on the table.The Miami Heat president said Monday in his annual end-of-season assessment that no player on the team's roster will be considered untouchable this offseason — if the right deal presents itself, that is — but quickly added the caveat that the franchise is not looking for a total revamp after going 44-38 in the regular season and making the playoffs."Show me the right name, and I could be all-in on everything," Riley said. "You know me. But it's got to be the right name ... that doesn't happen very often. Our core guys, we would like to keep together, there's no doubt. We would like to keep them together and we'd like to add something to it, but that's going to be a challenge."He also was clear on his own future: The 73-year-old Riley, who has spent a half-century in the NBA as a player, coach and executive, isn't going anywhere until managing general partner Micky Arison tells him it's... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — If there was any reason for solace in the Miami Heat locker room after the final game of the season in Philadelphia, it was this: They knew they lost to a better team.The Heat were good. They weren't great.Hence, the challenge of the offseason is clear: The Heat have to not only find ways to improve, but will have to find some creative ways to make it happen. They don't have a pile of salary-cap space to play with, they don't have any picks in this year's draft and they know that fellow Eastern Conference clubs like the 76ers — who needed five games to oust Miami from the playoffs — might only get better."We gave everything we have," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "We have to be OK with that."And with that, there is Question No. 1 of the offseason: Does Wade have any more to give?Wade is considering retirement, a decision that could affect some of the personnel decisions the Heat will make this summer, plus could also have an impact on whether Udonis Haslem returns to Miami for... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The first taste of the NBA playoffs for Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns has been rather bitter, thanks to the 3-point-happy Houston Rockets.The two-game totals tell a frustrating story for the 22-year-old: just 13 points, 5 for 18 shooting and a 2-0 deficit in the series against the Rockets. Towns has found himself the subject of pointed criticism from analysts, fans and even his own team.The switch-heavy Rockets have double-teamed Towns to a stifling effect, and the Timberwolves sure haven't helped their 7-footer out by getting him the ball in favorable situations in the post."They're coming to double. He knows that. He has to face up, be strong with the ball, make quick moves," point guard Jeff Teague said. "But we have to figure out how to get him running, get him some easy buckets."The team's struggles have taken a little luster off Minnesota's first postseason home game in 14 years, but the fans who remember the Timberwolves reaching the Western Conference... [More]