Dwyane Wade to stay with Heat, Tim Duncan returning to Spurs

Dwyane Wade is staying with the Miami Heat and Tim Duncan will return to the San Antonio Spurs.

Wade accepted a $20-million, one-year deal on Thursday to stay with the Heat next season, ending his latest foray into free agency and wrapping up a weeks-long saga that had him seriously wondering about leaving for the first time. A pair of conversations, first with Heat Chief Executive Nick Arison and then another with managing general partner Micky Arison, reminded Wade of what he meant to the team and from there it was a matter of just making numbers work.

“Sitting down with Nick, sitting down with Micky and having conversations with them that I’ve never had, that was big for me,” Wade told the Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I’ve never had a business conversation with one of them. … They got to show me how much they really wanted me to be here, how important it was for them that I continue to wear one jersey.”

Without those conversations, Wade said, “I don’t think we would be at this point.”

Per NBA rules, the Heat could not comment other than saying that it intended to enter into a contract with Wade once the NBA moratorium period ends. Wade cannot sign his new deal until July 9.

An 11-time All-Star, Wade averaged 21.5 points this past season.

Duncan said he will be returning to San Antonio for a 19th season.

Duncan told the San Antonio Express-News that “I’ll be on the court next year.” Until Duncan made his announcement Thursday, there was speculation that he could call it a career after the Spurs lost to the Clippers in a thrilling seven-game series in the first round of the playoffs.

Many expected him to return, particularly since he was coming off such a strong season. Duncan averaged 13.9 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks and earned third team All-NBA and second team All-Defense honors.

Duncan turned 39 in April and accompanied the Spurs on a recruiting trip for star free agent LaMarcus Aldridge on Wednesday.

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Monta Ellis has agreed to terms with the Indiana Pacers on a four-year deal worth $44 million, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press. The deal includes a player option for the final year. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.

Ellis gives the Pacers a better chance of making a smooth transition from the plodding, half-court offense they used to make the Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014 to an up-tempo style that is flourishing around the league.

He averaged 18.9 points and 4.1 assists in his second season with Dallas last year. And though he only shot 28.5% from three-point range, Ellis adds scoring punch on a team that finished 24th in the league in points per game mostly without the injured Paul George.

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Damian Lillard agreed to terms with the Portland Trail Blazers on a five-year extension worth more than $120 million, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.

Lillard’s contract could be worth up to $129 million, depending on the salary cap.

The Trail Blazers also agreed to sign power forward Ed Davis to a three-year contract worth $20 million, according to his agent, David Bauman. Davis played for the Lakers last season.

In other deals Thursday:

--Arron Afflalo has reportedly accepted a two-year, $16-million offer from the New York Knicks. The shooting guard known for his defense has averaged 11.4 points a game in eight NBA seasons.

--Center Greg Monroe has chosen the Milwaukee Bucks over other big-market suitors like the New York Knicks and Lakers. Yahoo Sports first reported the deal, which is for three years and $50 million. Monroe has a player option on the final year of the deal that will allow the 25-year-old to become a free agent again in two years if he chooses. Monroe averaged 15.9 points and 10.2 rebounds for the Detroit Pistons last year.

--The New Orleans Pelicans and center Omer Asik have agreed on a five-year contract worth a minimum of $44 million and rising up to $58 million if incentives and benchmarks are met, said a person familiar with the negotiations. The 7-foot Asik, who turns 29 on Saturday, started 76 games and averaged 7.3 points and 9.8 rebounds last season, his first with New Orleans following a trade from Houston.

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The Phoenix Suns traded Marcus Morris, Danny Granger and Reggie Bullock to the Detroit Pistons for a future draft pick, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press. The move was very likely a bid to clear salary space to sign Aldridge.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not been announced.

The Suns met with Aldridge, one of the top available NBA free agents this summer, on Wednesday after signing former Dallas Mavericks forward Tyson Chandler and re-signing guard Brandon Knight. Chandler, Knight and guard Eric Bledsoe were among a contingent from the Suns that made a pitch to Aldridge, who is weighing several teams to sign with.

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Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov has undergone successful right knee arthroscopic surgery and the team says he’ll be out about six weeks.

The team picked up the $5-million option on his contract for next season. The 7-foot-1 center was acquired in a January trade from Denver in exchange for two first-round draft picks.

Mozgov, who will turn 29 in mid-July, averaged a career-high 10.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 45 regular-season starts. He became a needed offensive option during the postseason, averaging 10.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 20 postseason starts.

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Kenyon Martin, a 15-year veteran who was the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft, told Yahoo Sports he was retiring.

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