Trevor Ariza
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) goes up for a shot against Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell (7) and guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 4, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Hardaway Jr. makes 10 3's, Mavs roll past Heat 127-113

By Tim Reynolds May. 04, 2021 10:29 PM EDT

FILE - Miami Heat forward Meyers Leonard, center, greets his teammates before an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in Miami. Leonard made an ethnic slur while streaming a video game, a comment that was quickly condemned by the NBA shortly after it learned of the matter Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)
Heat trade Meyers Leonard to Thunder for Trevor Ariza

By Tim Reynolds Mar. 17, 2021 07:54 PM EDT

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, file photo, then-Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan, left, talks with an official during the second half of an NBA first-round playoff basketball game against the Houston Rockets, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Chicago Bulls made sweeping changes to their front office for the 2020-21 season and snagged Donovan, one of the top coaches on the market, hoping an overhaul in leadership will carry them back to respectability. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
New NBA coaches for 9 teams navigating compressed timeline

By Brett Martel Dec. 19, 2020 11:31 AM EST

FILE - Oklahoma City Thunder's Luguentz Dort (5) dunks against the Houston Rockets during the first quarter of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., in this Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, file photo. The young guys who emerged for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season will have more responsibility now that veterans Chris Paul, Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari have moved on. (Kevin C. Cox/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Overhauled roster, timeline, pandemic test new Thunder coach

By Cliff Brunt Dec. 15, 2020 01:41 PM EST

FILE - In this Saturday, March 7, 2020, file photo, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, center, shoots as Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, left, and forward Harry Giles III, right, defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore. Lillard says he will spend most of his downtime working on recording music while inside the NBA bubble. (AP Photo/Steve Dipaola, File)
Blazers return key pieces in Nurkic and Collins for restart

By Anne M. Peterson Jul. 23, 2020 06:38 PM EDT

Portland Trailblazers' Damian Lillard, second from right, joins other demonstrators in Portland, Ore., during a protest against police brutality and racism sparked by the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after being restrained by police in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
Damian Lillard emerges from shutdown ready for playoff push

By Anne M. Peterson Jul. 06, 2020 02:30 AM EDT