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

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Three-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker said he would consider taking less money than he is eligible to make to stay with the Charlotte Hornets if that means helping them build a winning team.Because Walker was named to an All-NBA team this season, the Hornets can offer him a five-year "supermax" contract worth up to $221 million — significantly more than the five-year, $190 million deal had he not been named All-NBA.Other NBA teams can only offer a four-year deal worth $140 million when free agency begins June 30."Yeah, why not? I would take less, for sure," Walker said Thursday during his youth basketball camp at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte.The eight-year NBA veteran said the Hornets remain his first priority, but he said he's "pretty sure" he will meet with other interested teams before making a decision on his future.The 29-year-old Walker said he's eager to hear what other teams have to offer."That all factors in (to my decision) when I sit down with the... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Three-time All-Star point guard Kemba Walker says he'd be willing to work with the Hornets and take less than the "supermax" $221 million contract he's eligible to receive to re-sign with Charlotte.The Hornets can offer Walker, their all-time leading scorer, a five-year contract worth up to $221 million. Other NBA teams can only offer a four-year deal worth $140 million."Yeah, why not? I would take less, for sure," Walker said Thursday.Walker says the Hornets remain his "first priority," but he plans to meet with other interested teams before making a decision on his future.NBA free agency begins June 30.Asked if he's confident he'll be back with Charlotte, Walker says: "I have no clue. ... This is where I want to be and if it doesn't work out, it just doesn't. I'm prepared."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylor Jenkins feels confident that Memphis' new front office will give him enough time to turn around the Grizzlies.Jenkins is the Grizzlies' fourth head coach since Memphis reached the 2013 Western Conference. The 34-year-old coach said Wednesday at a news conference that he learned a lot about the Grizzlies during the interview process and the front office's vision."We know there's going to be ups and downs," Jenkins said. "We're going to have our successes. We're going to have our mistakes. We want to be perfect, but we know it's going to take a team to do that, and that's what made me excited about this opportunity and there was no concern whatsoever."This is the first NBA head coaching job for Jenkins, who was Mike Budenholzer's assistant in Milwaukee this season and was with him in Atlanta for five seasons. Jenkins started in the NBA as an intern with the San Antonio front office before going into coaching with the Spurs' G League team, coaching the Toros for... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thunder All-Star Paul George has had a procedure to repair a small labrum tear in his left shoulder.A Thunder spokesman made the announcement on Tuesday.George had surgery to repair a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder about a month ago. It was announced at that time that he would have the additional procedure at a later date. Both shoulders hampered him in the final two months of the season. His timetable for recovery remains the same — his status will be evaluated before the start of the upcoming season.George is a finalist for the NBA's Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards. He ranked second in the league with 28 points per game and led the league with 2.21 steals per contest.___Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin said Tuesday that the timing of next week's NBA draft won't necessarily raise urgency to deal away disgruntled six-time All-Star Anthony Davis."I'm open-minded," Griffin said while introducing new front office hire Swin Cash on a conference call with reporters. "If things devolve in such a way that it's time for us to make a decision relative to Anthony Davis or any other part of the organization, we will. But we're not in a hurry to do anything and we don't feel there is a time sensitivity to anything that we're talking about — and that includes AD's desire to stay or not stay. That's not something there's a shot clock on."The Pelicans have the first overall pick in the June 20 NBA draft, when they are expected to select consensus top prospect Zion Williamson of Duke. The Pelicans could acquire additional high draft picks by dealing Davis by draft night, but also could choose to wait and trade Davis for established... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies finally filled their coaching vacancy by hiring Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins.The Grizzlies will introduce Jenkins at news conference on Wednesday."Taylor has an excellent coaching pedigree, and we are confident he will lay the groundwork of developing the young players on our roster while having the elite basketball acumen and forward-thinking positive vision to be a high-level NBA head coach," Zachary Z. Kleiman, the Grizzlies' executive vice president of basketball operations, said in a statement Tuesday.Memphis became the sixth and final NBA team to hire a new coach after firing J.B. Bickerstaff following the end of the season in April.Jenkins, 34, was Mike Budenholzer's assistant in Milwaukee this season and in Atlanta for five seasons. Jenkins becomes Memphis' fourth head coach since the Grizzlies chose not to renew Lionel Hollins' contract in 2013 after he led them to their lone Western Conference final appearance.The new Grizzlies coach started in... [More]

The Memphis Grizzlies finally filled their coaching vacancy by hiring Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins.Jenkins is expected to be introduced at news conference on Wednesday, a person told The Associated Press Tuesday on condition of anonymity because Memphis has not publicly announced the hiring.The Grizzlies have been looking for a new coach since firing J.B. Bickerstaff the day after the season ended in April. Jenkins, 34, was Mike Budenholzer's assistant in Milwaukee this season and in Atlanta for five seasons. Jenkins becomes Memphis' fourth head coach since the Grizzlies chose not to renew Lionel Hollins' contract after leading them to their lone Western Conference final appearance in 2013.ESPN.com first reported the Jenkins' hiring.Jenkins started in the NBA as an intern with the San Antonio Spurs' basketball operations department during the 2007-08 season. He then was an assistant coach with the Spurs' G League team, the Toros, and worked under both Quin Snyder, now head coach... [More]

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin said Tuesday that the timing of next week's NBA draft won't necessarily raise urgency to deal away disgruntled six-time All-Star Anthony Davis."I'm open-minded," Griffin said while introducing new front office hire Swin Cash on a conference call with reporters. "If things devolve in such a way that it's time for us to make a decision relative to Anthony Davis or any other part of the organization, we will. But we're not in a hurry to do anything and we don't feel there is a time sensitivity to anything that we're talking about — and that includes AD's desire to stay or not stay. That's not something there's a shot clock on."The Pelicans have the first overall pick in the June 20 NBA draft, when they are expected to select consensus top prospect Zion Williamson of Duke. The Pelicans could acquire additional high draft picks by dealing Davis by draft night, but also could choose to wait and trade Davis for established... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist underwent a surgical procedure to address a chronic groin strain.The team called the surgery Tuesday a success. The No. 2 pick in the 2012 NBA draft out of Kentucky is expected to make a full recovery and be available for the start of the team's training camp in September.Kidd-Gilchrist was relegated to a backup role last season with the Hornets. He appeared in 64 games with starts, and averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — The scoreboard said Golden State 106, Toronto 105.The reality was that both teams lost.It's almost unimaginable: an NBA Finals game where neither team felt like celebrating afterward. That was the bizarre reality on Monday night, after the Warriors staved off elimination by rallying in the final moments to beat the Raptors and send this series back to Oracle Arena for Game 6 — on a night when Kevin Durant's season came to an end.Durant has an Achilles injury. The Warriors know it's bad. They'll find out how bad on Tuesday."It's devastating," Toronto forward Kawhi Leonard said.He wasn't talking about losing the game.He was talking about seeing Durant get hurt.Leonard knows what it's like to have the game taken away by injury. He missed most of last season with a leg injury, one that limited him to nine games. He saw his commitment to the game questioned — the same way Durant had by some in recent days — and came out the other side an even better player.That was the hope after... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The scoreboard said Golden State 106, Toronto 105.The reality was both teams lost.It's almost unimaginable: An NBA Finals game where neither team felt like celebrating afterward. That was the bizarre reality on Monday night, after the Warriors staved off elimination by rallying in the final moments to beat the Raptors and send this series back to Oracle Arena for Game 6 — on a night where Kevin Durant's season came to an end.Durant has an Achilles injury. The Warriors know it's bad. They'll find out how bad on Tuesday."It's devastating," Toronto forward Kawhi Leonard said.He wasn't talking about losing the game.He was talking about seeing Durant get hurt.Leonard knows what it's like to have the game taken away by injury. He missed most of last season with a leg injury, one that limited him to nine games. He had his commitment to the game questioned — the same way Durant had by some in recent days — and came out the other side an even better player.That was the hope after... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker's impressive career is over.Parker announced Monday he's retiring from basketball after 18 seasons in the NBA. The 37-year-old guard said on Twitter it was an emotional decision."It's with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!" Parker tweeted. "Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team. Thank you for everything!"Parker played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Charlotte Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times.Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he's loved Parker for a long time and praised him for an "amazing career.""It has been a blessing to be with him since he was 19 years old," Popovich said on a USA Basketball conference call Monday. "I... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat has been selected as this season's winner of the Magic Johnson Award, presented by the Pro Basketball Writers Association.Wade, who just completed his final season before retirement, was chosen as "the player who best combines excellence on the basketball court with cooperation and dignity in dealing with the media and the public."Wade averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his 16th and final NBA season. He was a three-time champion, the 2006 NBA Finals MVP and a 13-time All-Star.The PBWA created the Magic Johnson Award in 2001. Other finalists this season included Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Nikola Vucevic of the Orlando Magic.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NB A and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker announced Monday he's retiring after 18 seasons.The 37-year-old guard said on Twitter it was an emotional decision. Parker played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times."It's with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!" Parker tweeted. "Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team. Thank you for everything!"Parker started 1,151 games regular season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 playoffs games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game.He won NBA titles with the Spurs in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. He was named NBA Finals MVP in 2007.Parker had one year left... [More]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker has announced he's retiring after 18 seasons.The 37-year-old guard played 17 said on Twitter Monday that it was an emotional decision and that it has been an "incredible journey." He played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times.ESPN was first to report the news.Parker stated 1,151 games regular season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 playoffs games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game.Parker had one year left on his contract with the Hornets, but was not a major part of Charlotte's rotation late last season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — When Game 4 was over, while Toronto fans were waving Canadian flags in celebration inside an otherwise-stunned Oracle Arena, a glum-faced Kevin Durant was outside the Golden State locker room to greet equally glum teammates as they sauntered off the floor.That's been his only visible role on game nights in the NBA Finals.If that doesn't change Monday, this series is probably going to end.With it, in that case, so would Golden State's reign as NBA champions. And then it's possible that Durant, a free-agent-in-waiting, has played for the Warriors for the last time.Durant limped off the floor at Oracle Arena a month ago — Game 5 of the second round — with what the team called a mild calf strain. It's apparently the most severe "mild" calf strain in the history of injuries, because he hasn't played since and there's no way of knowing if that's going to change on Monday.And the Warriors clearly need him if they're going to pull off a comeback against the Raptors in these... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks have signed general manager Jon Horst to a multiyear extension, rewarding a key figure behind one of the best seasons in franchise history.The deal was announced Friday. Horst is one of the front-runners for NBA executive of the year, along with Denver's Tim Connelly, the Clippers' Lawrence Frank and Toronto's Masai Ujiri."I'm thankful to our ownership group for their continued trust and confidence in me," Horst said. "Wes (Edens), Marc (Lasry) and Jamie (Dinan) have been resolute in their commitment to building a championship-caliber team, providing the necessary tools and resources, and I look forward to continuing to execute their vision."Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee went 60-22 this year for the NBA's best record and the franchise's first 60-win season since the 1980-81 campaign. The Bucks also advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001, losing to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals.In two seasons... [More]

Mark Stevens will have to watch on TV when the arena he and his fellow investors are building in San Francisco opens next season with what they hope will be another championship ring ceremony for the Golden State Warriors.The billionaire venture capitalist's yearlong punishment for shoving Toronto's Kyle Lowry courtside during Game 3 of the NBA Finals came down quickly as the NBA tried to get ahead of today's fast-moving news cycles. The NBA understood it had a public relations — and player relations — crisis on its hands, especially after an initial finals-long suspension drew scorn on social media.And Stevens was also quick to apologize, though the mea culpa came in the form of a prepared statement. Lowry apparently wasn't taking calls and, really, who could blame him.In the NBA's version of a perfect world, it would all be wrapped up before the playoff series moves back to Toronto. Adam Silver had to be hoping the suspension and $500,000 fine were severe enough to allow the focus to... [More]

Mark Stevens will have to watch on TV when the arena he and his fellow investors are building in San Francisco opens next season with what they hope will be another championship ring ceremony for the Golden State Warriors.The billionaire venture capitalist's yearlong punishment for shoving Toronto's Kyle Lowry courtside during Game 3 of the NBA Finals came down quickly as the NBA tried to get ahead of today's fast-moving news cycles. The NBA understood it had a public relations — and player relations — crisis on its hands, especially after an initial finals-long suspension drew scorn on social media.And Stevens was also quick to apologize, though the mea culpa came in the form of a prepared statement. Lowry apparently wasn't taking calls and, really, who could blame him.In the NBA's version of a perfect world, it would all be wrapped up before the playoff series moves back to Toronto. Adam Silver had to be hoping the suspension and $500,000 fine were severe enough to allow the focus to... [More]