All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry understands why Kawhi Leonard would leave for the Los Angeles Clippers, but the longtime leader of the Toronto Raptors has no desire to bolt Canada.
“I want to be there — I would love to do a long extension, but we’ll see what happens,” Lowry said.
Lowry, 33, is in camp with Team USA but dealing with a left thumb injury. The right-handed shooter is still going through some workouts and could be available when competition begins. The FIBA World Cup is played in China next month.
Leonard spent only one season in Toronto but helped lead the Raptors to their first NBA title before exiting as a free agent.

Lot of depth in US
basketball: Popovich
When San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich agreed to take over as head coach of USA Basketball for Mike Krzyzewski, many envisioned NBA superstar names such as Harden, Love, Lillard and Davis on the backs of the uniforms.
Those top-level NBA stars dropped off the Team USA roster and won’t compete in the FIBA World Cup in China next month, but Popovich doesn’t sound worried about his team.
“I’ve said that we’re going to be fine and by that what I really meant is that we’re blessed with a lot of depth in USA Basketball,” he told reporters after a team practice in Las Vegas. “All of the players here want to be here, there’s no question about it. And that’s a big part of the battle itself.”

Heat re-sign Haslem
The Miami Heat re-signed forward Udonis Haslem, bringing him back for his 17th season with the club. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“UD is the heart and soul of Miami and we are proud to have him help lead this team once again,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement.
Haslem, 39, has played his entire career in Miami since joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of Florida in 2003. Part of three NBA championship teams, Haslem has career averages of 7.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 854 games, ranking as the Heat’s all-time leader in rebounds. He is second in games played to Dwyane Wade, who was a rookie teammate in 2003.

NCAA outlines
requirements for agents repping NBA hopefuls
The NCAA has issued stringent certification requirements for agents wishing to represent US collegiate basketball players who want to test the NBA draft waters.
The requirement for a bachelor’s degree saw the criteria quickly dubbed the “Rich Paul Rule” — a reference to the agent of NBA superstar LeBron James, who doesn’t have a college degree.
Paul, founder of the Klutch Sports Group, also represents NBA stars Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons and Draymond Green, among others. But he wouldn’t meet the criteria to offer guidance to collegiate players interested in exploring their NBA draft options while remaining eligible to return to collegiate basketball.