A showdown is looming between Cricket South Africa and South African Cricketers' Association (SACA). CSA held meetings over the weekend and has announced that its board has approved plans to restructure domestic cricket as a response to a dire financial situation. But SACA has complained that it has been kept in the dark on the potential changes, which could cost 70 professional cricketers their jobs.

CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe announced the planned austerity measures after two days of meetings to discuss the body's financial standing. In October, loss projections stood at R654 million [approx. USD 47 million], according to a report CSA had submitted to a parliamentary sports portfolio committee, and Moroe said that the amount had come down to R350 million [approx. USD 25 million] because of the proposed revamp.

But SACA says that it has been offered no clarity on the details of CSA's financial position, and how the challenges ahead will be dealt with.

"The future of the game is in the balance and as a critical stakeholder we believe the players have a right to know what the financial position actually is" SACA CHIEF EXECUTIVE TONY IRISH

"A four-year deficit amounting to hundreds of millions of rands is unprecedented in South African cricket and is a serious concern to us as the representative of the players," SACA chief executive Tony Irish said. "The future of the game is in the balance and as a critical stakeholder we believe the players have a right to know what the financial position actually is, how it is being dealt with, and how this is going to affect not only them but also all other cricket stakeholders.

"We have asked CSA for clarity and to date it has not provided this. SACA wishes to act responsibly and play its part in dealing with the challenge but in order to do that CSA must play open cards with us and properly engage with us."

CSA's austerity measures have been approved at the board level, and changes would include expanding the six franchise teams - Cape Cobras, Warriors, Dolphins, Knights, Highveld Lions and Titans - to 12 provincial teams from May 2020, effectively ending the existing system.

"The players' livelihoods depend on cricket's financial sustainability but this is not only about the players. It is also about the future of the entire game in our country" SACA PRESIDENT OMPHILE RAMELA

"We have a three-phased process where we will see Cricket South Africa go back to 12 provinces and we plan in the third year to either have Limpopo or Mpumalanga - or both - become part of the first-class structure, which will take us to the 14-member competition," Moroe explained.

"Franchise cricket has been a huge burden to CSA's coffers. We are pinning most of our work and commercial strategy on the Mzansi Super League (MSL) to be the programme that is actually going to fund domestic cricket."

The T20 Challenge, one of three T20 competitions run by CSA alongside the Africa T20 and MSL, will also be scrapped after operating without a sponsor this season following Ram Couriers' pullout last year.

"Obviously with us collapsing the franchise system into the senior provincial system, you will have lesser competition costs associated with the competitions," Corrie van Zyl, CSA's general manager - cricket, said. "Next year, we'll already be saving because of the termination of the T20 Challenge. From May 2020, we'll be moving to a 12-affiliate first-class structure, which enables us to have a saving."

But, Irish argued, the potential changes have been planned "without any meaningful consultation with SACA and despite the fact that this will directly affect the players". "This restructure, announced as part of cost-saving measures, is likely to lead to at least 70 players losing their contracts and many other players at franchise level having their earnings reduced. The 'human impact' of this is significant," Irish said. "SACA has a collective agreement in place with CSA, franchises and provinces, known as the MoU, which deals with these issues yet CSA has, in announcing this structure, disregarded that agreement."

SACA president Omphile Ramela explained, "SACA has formally written to CSA twice in the last six weeks to express its concerns relating to CSA's financial position. To date we haven't received any reply at all to those letters. It is critical for us as the players' association and the representative of all of South Africa's professional cricketers to know the extent of the financial challenge facing cricket and to be comfortable on how that challenge is being dealt with. The players' livelihoods depend on cricket's financial sustainability but this is not only about the players. It is also about the future of the entire game in our country."

Cameron Bancroft says that he is ready to put the past behind him as he prepares to lead Durham into the County Championship season, but accepts that others may take longer to forgive him for his role in the ball-tampering scandal that rocked Australian cricket last year.

Bancroft, 26, was last month named as Durham's captain for the 2019 season - a surprise appointment from the club's new director of cricket, Marcus North. However, it is an honour that the player himself is eager to live up to, after claiming to have grown as a person in the course of his enforced absence from the game.

"Of course I haven't had a lot of experience at first-class level captaining but I think all captains, all leaders, at some point in their lives started off captaining zero games of cricket," Bancroft said. "That's where I'm at right now and I'm just looking forward to learning about my team-mates, to being a part of the Durham County Cricket Club.

"They're a team that have had a few changes to the squad over the last 12 months and I know they're all really excited and looking forward to the future and I look forward to sharing and being a part of that."

Images of Bancroft flashed around the world in March last year when, midway through the Cape Town Test against South Africa, he was caught using sandpaper to rough up the match ball, and even attempted to hide the evidence by stuffing the object down his trousers.

It led to a nine-month ban from the sport for Bancroft, and 12-month bans for his senior colleagues, David Warner, who was deemed to have hatched the plan, and Steve Smith, who as captain was responsible for his team's on-field behaviour.

Bancroft said he "one hundred percent" hoped to return to the Australian Test team alongside Smith and Warner.

"It would mean a lot to me, definitely," Bancroft said. "But I also know that I've got a lot of really great things in my life and even playing just club cricket back home in Perth, it's a game that I felt like, you get really self-absorbed and single-minded in your pursuits to achieve things.

"But I think at the forefront is just the enjoyment of it all and if I do that I know that the result will take care of itself and it might not be. Hopefully that will happen one day."

Bancroft admitted, however, that he had contemplated walking away from cricket.

"I've had moments where I've been really flat, really down," he said. "You're in a grieving phase, and you've got to be really honest with yourselves. Particularly as men you can sometimes really hold onto things, can't you? So being able to express that to my family and I've had a really great sports psychologist back home. To be able to honour that within yourself is really important.

"Walking home one day to where I was staying I had a thought that perhaps cricket wasn't going to be for me ... but once I started playing grade cricket for my club, I had so much fun."

The ban was, he reflects, an unexpectedly positive experience, in spite of the turmoil it caused at the time. Bancroft immersed himself in yoga, to "detach myself from the story of being a professional cricketer", and got involved with volunteer projects, including a camping exhibition with the Kyle Andrews Foundation, which cares for sick and terminally ill children.

"As much as I missed cricket, the opportunity it gave me to look at myself was one of the best things that ever happened to me," he said. "I had to go home. Sit with myself, grieve, forgive myself, and then ultimately move forward.

"I've learned a lot about myself, I think being able to take time to detach myself from cricket was something that I found a lot of joy in. To know that the identity and person I created from being a professional cricketer, a game which I love, I think I was just able to connect a lot with different parts of the community, meet a lot of great people.

"Turning that event from South Africa into a positive was something I was really proud of and to have that opportunity to grow as a person, you'd be silly not to take those steps forward.''

Toss Mumbai Indians chose to bowl v Kings XI Punjab

Kieron Pollard showed up for Mumbai Indians at the toss, filling in for the rested Rohit Sharma, and he elected to bowl against Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede stadium. Visiting captain R Ashwin said he would have done the same, keeping the dew factor in mind, had he won the toss.

Rohit, who had suffered a muscle spasm in his right leg yesterday during training, was rested as a precautionary measure. Mumbai have handed a debut to local boy Siddhesh Lad, who has been with the team since 2015.

For Kings XI, Karun Nair replaced Mayank Agarwal, who is yet to recover from his finger injury, according to Ashwin. Fast bowler Hardus Viljoen, who played the first three games for Kings XI, is back in place of Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Having lost their previous match against Kings XI earlier this season, Mumbai, while also looking to improve their patchy home record, will be hoping to turn it around at the Wankhede.

Both teams are coming into the game having defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in their respective previous encounters.

Mumbai Indians: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Suryakumar Yadav, 3 Siddhesh Lad, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Ishan Kishan, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Kieron Pollard (capt), 8 Rahul Chahar, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Kings XI Punjab: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Karun Nair, 4 Mandeep Singh, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 David Miller, 7 Sam Curran, 8 R Ashwin (capt), 9 Hardus Viljoen, 10 Ankit Rajpoot, 11 Mohammed Shami

Zimbabwe 111 for 3 (Ervine 51*, Chakabva 38) beat UAE 110 (Boota 36, Chatara 3-25, Jarvis 2-11, Tiripano 2-18, Mavuta 2-30) by seven wickets

Zimbabwe drew first blood in UAE's historic maiden ODI tour of a Full Member nation, notching a seven-wicket win over the visitors at Harare Sports Club after sending them in and wiping them out for 110.

UAE were struggling from the start, ending the Powerplay at 19 for 3 as Kyle Jarvis and eventual Man of the Match Tendai Chatara struck a series of early blows. The biggest was Jarvis claiming Ashfaq Ahmed for just 2 to start the third over after the opening batsman entered the day on the back of an unbeaten 131 in UAE's win over a Zimbabwe Chairman's XI to start the tour.

Chatara and Donald Tiripano each claimed two wickets as UAE slipped to 42 for 6 by the end of the 23rd over. Mohammad Boota top-scored with 36 at No. 7, helping his side past 100 by the time he was dismissed. Boota teamed up with Imran Haider for a 29-run seventh-wicket stand, the largest of the day for UAE, before Chatara returned in a late spell to have Haider caught behind for his third wicket.

Zimbabwe suffered a brief setback early in the chase when Solomon Mire fell leg before to Qadeer Ahmed for 11. But Regis Chakabva and Craig Ervine produced an 80-run partnership for the second wicket before Chakabva fell to Haider with victory in sight.

Ervine entered the match in sizzling form, having scored four half-centuries in his last five innings during Zimbabwe's domestic T20 competition while his last three List A innings for Tuskers in the Zimbabwe Pro50 Championship totaled 310 runs while being dismissed just once. The 33-year-old racked up a 40-ball half-century before he was dismissed by Rohan Mustafa with Zimbabwe one shot away from victory.

Timycen Maruma and Sean Williams knocked off the remaining four runs for the win, which came with 26.5 overs to spare.

The two sides square off again in the second ODI of the four-match series on Friday.

DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki, the NBA legend who refused to go on a retirement tour, had no choice but to have his career celebrated Tuesday night in what he confirmed afterward was the final home game of his career.

It started the second that Nowitzki, the sixth-leading scorer in NBA history, stepped out of his car after pulling into the American Airlines Center parking garage for the Dallas Mavericks' home finale. Team employees formed two lines that Nowitzki walked through, and he gave high-fives to each side on his way to the locker room as the support staffers expressed their love and gratitude to the man who has represented the franchise with such grace and dignity during his unprecedented 21 seasons.

It continued throughout the game, with his teammates force-feeding Nowitzki, who launched eight shots on the Mavs' first seven possessions. Nowitzki finished with a season-high 30 points on 11-of-31 shooting in the 120-109 win over the Phoenix Suns, which was essentially the opening act for an elaborately planned postgame celebration.

Nowitzki, 40, was surprised and overwhelmed when five of his childhood hoops heroes -- Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird, Shawn Kemp and fellow German Detlef Schrempf -- walked out to midcourt and each delivered brief tribute messages. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle and owner Mark Cuban also gave speeches honoring Nowitzki before No. 41 finally got the microphone and casually mentioned that he was hanging up his Nikes.

"Mark, can't wait to see what you've got for my jersey retirement," Nowitzki said, smiling at Cuban. "I mean, this is a high bar that you set. But as you guys might expect, this is my last home game.

"I'm trying my yoga breathing, but it's not really working that well. This is obviously super, super emotional."

Nowitzki's retirement was widely anticipated, which is why fans in arenas around the NBA treated him to an unofficial farewell tour throughout the season, but it was a decision he said he reached firmly only in the past few days. Ultimately, he didn't feel he had much of a choice because of chronic pain in his left foot, an unintended consequence from surgery last spring to clean out bone spurs in that ankle.

"There comes a point where you know that a guy has given every last ounce that he can give to this game," said Carlisle, who along with the rest of the Mavs' coaching staff wore under their suit coats the "41.21.1" T-shirts made that recognized No. 41's record-setting loyalty to one team.

A setback suffered while playing pickup games just before training camp in September, when the tendon in that foot became inflamed, forced Nowitzki to miss the first 26 games of the season and caused him to struggle mightily for most of the season, enduring painful, exhaustive treatment just to get on the court.

"I think it's been a long time coming," Nowitzki said during his postgame news conference, which was delayed a bit while he enjoyed a beer with the legends who came to celebrate his career. "I was struggling this year with my foot. That's no secret. It's just not there where it needs to be to compete at a high level for 82 games. I felt actually some of the best today, but I've got a lot of treatment over the course of the season -- pills, injections. It just doesn't make any sense anymore to keep doing that for another season, even though I'd love to be there. I'd love to be there with [Kristaps Porzingis] and Luka [Doncic] and all these young guys and have fun with them and mentor them as much as I can. But it just doesn't make any sense anymore physically.

"What ended up happening was with more ankle movement, the arthritis was just showing up too much and I was in pain most of the year. You could tell sometimes. When I was backpedaling, my left foot kept sinking in. It was a tough year, tough year, but I kept plugging through. And I'm glad it's almost over."

Nowitzki will play one last game, suiting up for the Mavs on the road Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, hoping that he has a little bit left in the tank after by far his most prolific game of the season.

The Mavs made a pact to get Nowitzki the ball as early and often as possible. He became the oldest player in NBA history to score 30 points, a distinction previously held by Michael Jordan, whom Nowitzki said was the one childhood hero of his missing from the ceremony. He admitted that he was gassed after his early scoring flurry -- which featured a midrange jumper on the Mavs' opening possession, quickly followed by a 3-pointer, a turnaround jumper and another 3, all assisted by Doncic and longtime teammate Devin Harris -- but managed to play 33 minutes, by far his most of the season.

Nowitzki even managed to mix in a dunk -- his second of the season, both coming in the past few games -- throwing it down with two hands after catching a bounce pass from Dwight Powell. As he hung on the rim for a few seconds, Doncic, 20, hopped up and down with both hands over his head, celebrating like the fans in the sellout crowd who packed the arena from well before tipoff until the confetti printed with "41.21.1" fell at the end of the postgame ceremony.

The night was filled with planned and organic celebrations of Nowitzki, a 14-time All-Star, one-time MVP and one-time Finals MVP who led the Mavs to the franchise's lone championship in 2011. There were a variety of Dirk-themed chants throughout the game, and he received dozens of standing ovations, from his introduction in the starting lineup to each time he went to the scorer's table to check back in to the final time he walked off the home court wearing a Mavs uniform.

During one of those standing ovations, Nowitzki couldn't control his emotions. A video after the first quarter focused on his extensive charity work, in particular the annual visits to a local children's hospital that "Uncle Dirk" did every holiday season throughout his career, refusing to allow them to be publicized until a couple of years ago. Standing near midcourt before play began again, Nowitzki puts his hands on his knees and wiped away tears.

"I actually shot a ball after that, and I don't think I even saw the rim, I had so many tears in my eyes," Nowitzki said with a smile.

The Mavs led by 30 at halftime, but the Suns managed to make the game competitive due primarily to a record-setting performance by their own old-timer. Jamal Crawford, 39, scored 39 of his 51 in the second half, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to hit the 50-point milestone and earning a shoutout from Nowitzki.

"Thanks to the Phoenix Suns for staying out here and letting me have a few baskets. I appreciate it," Nowitzki said during the postgame ceremony as the Suns watched in front of their bench. "Even though Jamal stole my show a little bit today. I'm a little mad at that."

Nowitzki, the good-natured German whom Barkley called "the nicest man ever," laughed at his playful jab at Crawford. Just as Nowitzki chuckled when the Suns double-teamed him on the final possession of the game to prevent him from hoisting one last jumper in the arena occasionally referred to as "The House That Dirk Built."

"There's no words that I can possibly say, Dirty, to describe how I feel and what you've meant to the organization," Cuban said during the postgame ceremony. "But I can make you all kinds of promises. I'll promise you that everything you taught us will continue on. I'll promise you that you have a job for life, I don't care what you're doing. I'll promise you that we'll retire your number -- not a tough decision. And I'll promise you we will put the most biggest, bad-ass statue ever."

Cuban paused, allowing the crowd to unleash an extended roar, before finishing his speech. "And we'll put it right in front of the arena. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Nowitzki finished his speech by thanking Mavs fans for supporting him "on a hell of a ride with a lot of ups and downs." He vowed to remain a part of the Dallas community and the franchise, but Nowitzki isn't sure exactly what's next for him.

"I want to clear my head," Nowitzki said in his postgame news conference, when he held the microphone in his right hand and leaned back, as he has done so many times throughout his career. "I want to travel. I want to enjoy my family that's sacrificed so much over the last years and see my kids and then go from there. I'm sure after a year or two of doing that, something has to come and find my passion. I'm sure I'll stick around the Mavericks somehow."

Carlisle said Nowitzki's retirement plans hadn't quite hit him yet.

"When it does, I'll be in tears," Carlisle said.

Nowitzki is also still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his next game -- the 1,522nd regular-season appearance of his career -- will be his last.

"I know that I'll miss the heck out of it, out of everything," Nowitzki said. "But it's time."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A citation has been issued against a Missouri man accused of flashing a laser at New England quarterback Tom Brady during the Patriots' AFC Championship Game victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that Dwyan Morgan, 64, of Lee's Summit, Missouri, faces a single count of disturbing the peace, a municipal violation.

Television stations posted footage after the game that showed a green light flashing on Brady late in the Patriots' 37-31 overtime victory on Jan. 20. Prosecutors say Brady was unaware of the laser.

Laser pointers are banned at most sporting events because of the potential for distraction and safety reasons. The light can damage the retina after even a short period of time.

Morgan doesn't have a publicly listed phone number and couldn't be reached by The Associated Press for comment.

LOS ANGELES -- In a bombshell that sent shock waves throughout the Lakers organization and the NBA as a whole, a teary-eyed Magic Johnson announced Tuesday night that he is stepping down after just two years as the team's president of basketball operations.

"It's a difficult decision. I cried before I came here," Johnson said as he choked back tears while making the announcement before the Lakers' regular-season finale against the Portland Trail Blazers, a 104-101 loss. "I am about to cry now. It's hard when you love an organization the way I love this organization. It's hard when you love a person like I love Jeanie [Buss]. I don't want to disappoint her."

But Johnson also made it clear that the decision leaves him in a happier state.

"I want to go back to having fun,'' he said. "I want to go back to being who I was before taking on this job."

Johnson said the decision had nothing to do with Luke Walton's future as the team's head coach. He admitted, however, that he wanted to avoid Walton's job coming between him and Buss, the Lakers' controlling owner and governor who has been a staunch supporter of the coach.

"We love Luke [Walton], so I got to make a decision and that's a tough thing," Johnson said. "I'm good with where I am. I'm happy. I want to do the things I used to do, so I had to weigh both situations, so this is better for me."

Johnson said he had not informed Buss or general manager Rob Pelinka of his decision before talking to reporters. He later told ESPN's Rachel Nichols that he didn't tell Buss first because he was afraid she would have talked him out of it.

"I'm going to be around whenever she needs me," Johnson said. "Trust me. ... It's going to be hard for her to come and hear this right now. I get it. Because it was hard for me to go do that, to make this decision and come to this conclusion. But she's going to be fine, and I'm going to be fine."

The Lakers thanked Johnson in a statement, saying in part, "There is no greater Los Angeles Laker than Earvin Johnson. ... He will always be not only a Lakers icon, but our family." Buss echoed those sentiments in a tweet, writing: "Earvin, I loved working side by side with you. You've brought us a long way. We will continue the journey. We love you."

Sources told ESPN that Buss, Pelinka, chief financial officer Joe McCormack, chief operating officer Tim Harris and manager of special projects Linda Rambis huddled together in an all-hands-on-deck meeting in El Segundo, California, on Tuesday following Johnson's announcement.

The Lakers franchise is currently "paralyzed" by the news, a team source told ESPN.

The Lakers finished the season 37-45 and went 35-47 last season, putting the job security of Walton, the third-year coach, in jeopardy. The team has not made the playoffs since 2013.

Walton has two years remaining on his contract, but only next season is guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

When asked by Nichols if he was preparing to let Walton go, Johnson said, "Yeah, I was preparing to make that decision."

"But you know ... it was going to be tough for her, because she loves him, loves me," Johnson said of the dynamic with Buss, Walton and himself. "And I was already saying, you know what? Really, Earvin, are you really happy? So when I decided I wasn't, I didn't want to put her in a position like this. And so this was the right move to make. And I've never been so relieved."

Walton gave his pregame remarks before Johnson surprised reporters by taking the coach's place behind the dais set up in the hallway across from the Lakers' locker room at Staples Center. When asked how the season went, Walton said it was "wild."

After Tuesday's loss, he declined to say much about Johnson's announcement.

"I found out when you guys did," he said. "It was 80 minutes before the game ... and I haven't had any time to really process it."

Johnson acknowledged the rough start to the Lakers' season. He admonished Walton in a tense meeting after the team opened 2-5, but he said everything has been "fine" between the two since.

"Sometimes as a president you have to have a tough meeting with the coach," Johnson said. "After that, it was fine. And it's been fine. I haven't had any problems with Luke. People think we had problems, but we haven't had any problems. ... If I had come back, we all had to be better. I made mistakes myself. But also, everybody had to be better, and that is what it is all about."

Johnson, who was named to the position in February 2017, said he made his decision Tuesday morning, a day after he and Buss had a three-hour meeting. He said the reason why he had not told Buss about his decision before his announcement was because he could not face her.

Johnson waited for Buss after his announcement but then left the arena after he was told she wasn't coming to the game.

League sources told Wojnarowski that Johnson and Pelinka visited with Lakers star LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, on Saturday. Johnson offered no indication that he was on the brink of leaving the team, sources said. Johnson said he did not tell James about his decision to leave before making his announcement, either.

Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo said the Johnson news took the organization and the locker room by complete surprise. He said he arrived at the arena and saw a media horde surrounding Johnson but initially didn't know what was happening.

"Nobody had an idea," said Rondo, who did not play in the season finale against Portland. "I didn't know if it was true or not. What shocked me is how everybody else is shocked. Because nobody knew.

"I walked in ... and thought LeBron had retired or something."

In discussing his decision Tuesday night, Johnson said he did not like "the backstabbing" and "the whispering" that was going on. He did not clarify what he meant, other than to say it is something that happens in the NBA and that he wasn't talking strictly about the Lakers organization.

"I don't like a lot of things that went on that didn't have to go on," Johnson said. "So I hope that, after tomorrow, the Lakers can head in the right direction, which we are. Injuries really hurt us."

Asked if he would like to see Pelinka and Walton retain their jobs, Johnson declined to answer, saying that will be up to Buss. He noted that he and Pelinka "worked well" together.

"Do I think Rob is the right GM? That's a decision Jeanie has to make," Johnson said. "I worked well with him. I had no problem with him.

"Jeanie has to make all the calls. That's not the calls for me to make. This is her organization."

In a podcast appearance last week, Buss said a story that came out this season about her team -- she wouldn't specify which one -- caused her to question her connection to some of the people she worked with. She requested one-on-one meetings with several colleagues to meet face to face and gauge her belief in them. Johnson said Buss was not referring to him.

"Her and I? No. No. She trusted me," he said. "She already knows I'm the most loyal person she got. She's loyal to me, I'm loyal to her. Trust, we had that down. Even before I got here [as president]. Because I would always tell her the truth about the organization. I think that was about some other people, but you would have to ask her. But she gave me what I needed. When I first got here some people wasn't up to excellence, so I had to fire some people and she was OK with that."

Johnson lamented that his position with the Lakers didn't allow him to be a statesman of the game of basketball, because any comment he made about another player on another team could lead to tampering. Johnson and the Lakers have been fined a total of $550,000 for tampering over Paul George and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the past.

Earlier this season, the NBA looked into whether the Lakers tampered when Johnson revealed that Philadelphia's Ben Simmons asked the Lakers if he could work out with Johnson in the offseason to improve his game. The NBA ultimately ruled there was no tampering.

Johnson also said that he wanted to remain active in the community and his businesses.

"I was happier when I wasn't president [of the Lakers]," Johnson said.

"We [the Lakers] are halfway there with LeBron coming. Think this summer, with that other star coming in, whoever is going to bring him in, I think this team is really going to be in position to contend for a championship with the growth of the young players."

Johnson spoke to reporters for nearly an hour and a half, causing the Lakers to cancel a scheduled pregame media session with James for what would have been his final remarks of the season.

"I'm a free bird and I've been handcuffed," Johnson said. "And I don't like that. ... This is the right time. The right move. The right decision. I'm so happy. I'm a guy who always knows when things are right, and this is right. It feels good."

The NFL draft annually brings back memories, and many of those memories aren't exactly pleasant. With every draft bust comes the question, "What if we took [fill-in-the-blank Pro Bowler who's on another team] instead?" On that note, what if you could go back and get a do-over on those draft picks that your team whiffed on?

That's the premise of this exercise, as we asked our 32 NFL Nation reporters to go back over the past five drafts (2014-18) and correct their team's biggest draft mistake during that time. We gave them the keys to the DeLorean and waived all speed laws.

The ground rules:

1. The re-drafted player has to be at a position of reasonable need in that particular draft (no Todd Gurley allowed for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015).

2. The re-drafted player has to be available at the pick in question (no using the 30th pick in 2017 to draft Patrick Mahomes).

3. You cannot trade the pick you're looking to re-draft, but you can choose not to trade a pick the team traded (see the Buffalo Bills' entry).

With those rules in place, it's time to rewrite history in the way each reporter sees fit. Click on the links below to go to each team:

Arizona Cardinals

First round of the 2014 draft (No. 27 overall)
Actual pick: Deone Bucannon, LB, Washington State
Do-over pick: DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, Boise State

Picked just seven slots after Bucannon, Lawrence would've given the Cardinals a dominant pass-rusher long before they traded for Chandler Jones in 2016. At the time, they could've paired Lawrence with Calais Campbell to give Arizona a forceful edge rush. Even though quarterback Derek Carr was still on the board, the Cardinals were in the midst of Carson Palmer's run. Drafting a quarterback would've made sense long term, but Lawrence would've given the Cardinals stability on one edge right away. And imagine pairing him with Jones if history stayed on track. -- Josh Weinfuss

Atlanta Falcons

First round of 2015 draft (No. 8 overall)
Actual pick: Vic Beasley Jr., DE, Clemson
Do-over pick: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

Sure, pass-rush help was the No. 1 priority for the Falcons, but it's hard to pass on an offensive playmaker who is right in your own backyard. Gurley could have made a dynamic Atlanta offense even more dangerous despite coming off a serious knee injury in college. And it wouldn't have mattered that the Falcons already had an eventual Pro Bowl back in Devonta Freeman; they ended up drafting the now-departed Tevin Coleman in this draft. -- Vaughn McClure

Baltimore Ravens

First round of 2015 draft (No. 26 overall)
Actual pick: Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
Do-over pick: Stefon Diggs, WR, Maryland

The Ravens were looking for a playmaking downfield target and chose to go with a prospect with questionable hands over someone who played a short drive from their stadium. Baltimore wasn't the only team to pass on Diggs, who lasted until the fifth round because of durability issues. But this represents another cringe-worthy misstep at wide receiver for the Ravens, as Diggs has totaled 3,493 yards (or 2,577 more than Perriman). -- Jamison Hensley

Buffalo Bills

First round of the 2017 draft (No. 10 overall)
Actual pick: Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU (after trading down from No. 10 to No. 27)
Do-over pick: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech (with the No. 10 pick)

The Bills maneuvered extensively to acquire Josh Allen in the 2018 draft and hope he's their franchise quarterback, but passing on Mahomes was a decision that could ultimately limit Buffalo's ceiling. Then-rookie coach Sean McDermott and owner Terry Pegula went on the road before the 2017 draft to visit with quarterbacks as they explored long-term options to replace Tyrod Taylor, but with Mahomes and Deshaun Watson on the board at No. 10, the Bills punted on the pick in order to take White at No. 27 and add a 2018 first-round selection. General manager Doug Whaley was fired the day after the draft, adding to the confusion about who made the call. -- Mike Rodak

Carolina Panthers

First round of the 2016 draft (No. 30 overall)
Actual pick: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech
Do-over pick: Germain Ifedi, OT, Texas A&M

The Panthers took a defensive tackle in each of the first two rounds of the 2013 draft, so this was then-GM Dave Gettleman's insurance in case he lost one in free agency in the ensuing seasons. That happened when Star Lotulelei went to Buffalo in 2018. But the offensive line was a mess a year after Carolina went to the Super Bowl, particularly after left tackle Michael Oher was lost for the season with a concussion. Ifedi, who went No. 31 to Seattle, has started 44 games at guard and tackle. He would have helped solve problems on the line that continued in 2017 and '18. Butler has been a disappointment, with zero starts and two sacks in three seasons. -- David Newton

Chicago Bears

First round of the 2015 draft (No. 7 overall)
Actual pick: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
Do-over pick: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

The Bears were searching for the heir apparent to Matt Forte in the spring of 2015, but instead of taking Gurley, Chicago chose White, who turned out to be a bust. The Bears eventually addressed running back in the fourth round that year by drafting Michigan State's Jeremy Langford. But Langford lasted two seasons in Chicago, and Gurley is one of the league's best skill-position players. -- Jeff Dickerson

Cincinnati Bengals

First round of the 2015 draft (No. 21 overall)
Actual pick: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M
Do-over pick: Benardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State

The Bengals tried to replace left tackle Andrew Whitworth several years before they needed to; in hindsight, they should've been trying to reshape their linebacking corps. The Ogbuehi experiment was a disaster and the play of middle linebacker Rey Maualuga dropped off sharply the following season, causing the Bengals to spend several years signing a series of middle linebackers to one-year deals. Four years later, the Bengals are still looking to fill holes at both tackle and linebacker. -- Katherine Terrell

Cleveland Browns

First round of the 2014 draft (No. 22 overall)
Actual pick: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
Do-over pick: Anyone else

Literally, any other player drafted after Manziel (pass-rusher Dee Ford went 23rd) would have been better. The damage from this pick cannot be fully calculated, because missing on a quarterback taken high sets a team back the number of years it commits to him, plus the same number of years to find the next guy. In the Browns' case, this choice set them back four seasons -- or until they found Baker Mayfield. The signals and signs Manziel was not truly committed were there, but the Browns went ahead with a choice they should have avoided. -- Pat McManamon

Dallas Cowboys

First round of 2017 draft (No. 28 overall)
Actual pick: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
Do-over pick: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin

Charlton is the only Dallas first-round pick since 2013 not to make a Pro Bowl, so there is some disappointment thus far. While many believe T.J. Watt should have been the Cowboys' pick due to his success in his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, the organization (front office and coaches) did not feel he was a perfect fit for their 4-3 scheme. Ramczyk is the pick because he has started every game and would have allowed the Cowboys to keep La'el Collins at guard instead of moving to right tackle. The Cowboys like to say they want to keep their strengths strong, and Ramczyk would have done that for their offensive line. -- Todd Archer

Denver Broncos

First round of the 2016 draft (No. 26 overall)
Actual pick: Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis
Do-over pick: Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas

The Broncos traded up in the first round -- from No. 31 and threw in a third-round pick (No. 94) -- because they wanted their quarterback of the future. But Lynch failed to win the starting job in back-to-back training camps and then didn't win the backup job in his third training camp, in 2018. He was waived last summer after four starts, four touchdowns and four interceptions.The Broncos have taken a tight end in three of the past four drafts (Jeff Heuerman, Jake Butt and Troy Fumagalli) because it has been, and still is, a need position. While Henry has dealt with injuries -- as have the three tight ends Denver has drafted -- he has produced when healthy and would have presented a tempting option. -- Jeff Legwold

Detroit Lions

First round of the 2014 draft (No. 10 overall)
Actual pick: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
Do-over pick: Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh

This has been one of the most spirited (and even heated) discussions among Lions fans for the past five years. The Lions' passing on Donald, Taylor Lewan, Odell Beckham Jr. and others to take Ebron hurt the franchise because of the impact any of those players would have had. Donald, of course, was the biggest potential impact player of the bunch considering how dominant he could have made Detroit's defensive line in 2014 and how he could have slid in to replace Ndamukong Suh after that season. Drafting Donald could have created far-reaching implications for the Lions that might have saved jobs. Ebron flourished last season in Indianapolis, but it never totally worked for him with the Lions. Part of that had to do with who he was compared to. -- Michael Rothstein

Green Bay Packers

First round of the 2017 draft (No. 29 overall)
Actual pick: Kevin King, CB, Washington (after trading down to No. 33)
Do-over pick: T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin

After the Packers traded down in Ted Thompson's final draft as general manager, the Steelers picked Watt at No. 30 and the Packers took King with the first pick in the second round (the Packers also got the No. 104 pick in trade). It seemed like a risk at the time given the Packers' need for a pass-rusher and King's history of shoulder problems. Sure enough, Watt had seven sacks as a rookie and 13 last season, while King has finished each of his first two seasons on injured reserve. The Packers then had to use their top pick in 2018 on another corner, Jaire Alexander, and spent big money on their pass rush in free agency this year with Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith. -- Rob Demovsky

Houston Texans

Second round of 2014 draft (No. 33 overall)
Actual pick: Xavier Su'a-Filo, G, UCLA
Do-over pick: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State

The Texans are obviously ecstatic to have Deshaun Watson, but they could have found their franchise quarterback three years earlier in the second round. Instead, Houston went with Su'a-Filo, whom the Texans did not bring back after his rookie contract expired following the 2017 season. In those three seasons -- Bill O'Brien's first in Houston -- the Texans had eight quarterbacks start a game. The Texans, of course, drafted Derek's brother, David Carr, with their first-ever pick in 2002. After Derek was drafted by the Raiders, David told reporters he didn't "know if [the Texans] wanted that attention or distraction" that could have come had they taken his brother. -- Sarah Barshop

Indianapolis Colts

First round of 2015 draft (No. 29 overall)
Actual pick: Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami
Do-over pick: Landon Collins, S, Alabama

Taking Dorsett was one of many things that went wrong in the 2015 offseason for Indianapolis. Safety was a glaring need for the Colts, but they were so caught up with trying to beat New England, which beat them in the AFC Championship Game the previous season, that they thought the speedy Dorsett would help them get past the Patriots. Dorsett never lived up to his potential and was traded to, of all teams, the Patriots in 2017. Collins was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons. -- Mike Wells

Jacksonville Jaguars

First round of the 2017 draft (No. 4 overall)
Actual pick: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU
Do-over pick: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

Blake Bortles was coming off a terrible season and new executive vice president of football ops Tom Coughlin could have hit the reset button on the position with the big-armed Mahomes. The Jaguars might not have made an appearance in the AFC title game that season (Fournette played a major role in that), but taking Mahomes (or Deshaun Watson) would have set up the franchise for long-term success. Plus, the Jaguars wouldn't have signed Bortles to a four-year extension that February, a move that cost the team $16.5 million in dead money when it released him last month. Jacksonville wouldn't have had to sign Nick Foles to a contract that averages $22.75 million a year, either. That money could have been used in free agency or to sign CB Jalen Ramsey and DE Yannick Ngakoue to extensions. -- Mike DiRocco

Kansas City Chiefs

Second round of the 2017 draft (No. 59 overall)
Actual pick: Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova
Do-over pick: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC

Kpassagnon contributed little in two seasons and was often a healthy scratch late last season. Had the Chiefs drafted Smith-Schuster, who went three picks later to the Steelers, they wouldn't have needed to overpay for Sammy Watkins in free agency the next year. Perhaps Kpassagnon's career is revived by a switch from linebacker to his college position of defensive end this season, but he has looked like a lost pick so far. -- Adam Teicher

Los Angeles Chargers

First round of the 2014 draft (No. 25 overall)
Actual pick: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
Do-over pick: Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State

Verrett's talent is undeniable, as he made a Pro Bowl in his only healthy season in 2015. However, injury concerns were an issue for Verrett coming out of college because of his smaller frame. Those concerns proved accurate, with Verrett missing 55 of a possible 80 games during his tenure with the team due to an assortment of injuries. Roby, selected six picks later by the Denver Broncos at No. 31, missed one game in five seasons, totaling seven interceptions and 60 pass breakups during his time in Denver. -- Eric D. Williams

Los Angeles Rams

First round of the 2014 NFL draft (No. 2 overall)
Actual pick: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
Do-over pick: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU

The Rams needed to draft an offensive tackle in 2014, but Robinson was a complete bust. After three disappointing seasons, the Rams signed veteran Andrew Whitworth, then traded Robinson to the Detroit Lions for a sixth-round pick. And to think what might have been. Also on the Rams' list of needs in 2014? A wide receiver. With the second overall pick, they could have selected Beckham, a head-turning playmaker who would turn into a star on and off the field with the Rams' eventual move to Los Angeles and the eventual hiring of offense-minded coach Sean McVay. -- Lindsey Thiry

Miami Dolphins

First round of 2017 draft (No. 22 overall)
Actual pick: Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
Do-over pick: T.J. Watt, OLB/DE, Wisconsin

The Dolphins were hoping to find a pass-rusher to complement and eventually replace veteran Cameron Wake, but they chose the wrong one in Harris. With three sacks in two seasons, he hasn't found ways to win one-on-one matchups and make a true NFL impact. Miami hasn't given up on Harris yet, but the team would jump at the chance to correct its error by nabbing the slightly undersized but uber-effective Watt (20 sacks in two seasons). -- Cameron Wolfe

Minnesota Vikings

First round of the 2016 draft (No. 23 overall)
Actual pick: Laquon Treadwell, WR, Ole Miss
Do-over pick: Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State

This is a no-brainer. The Vikings have struggled to find a No. 3 receiver, as the Treadwell experiment has run its course the past three seasons. Thomas, who was taken by the Saints 24 picks later, had a career-high 12.4 yards per catch as a rookie, compiled the most receptions by a player in his first three seasons (321) in NFL history and led the league in receptions last season (125). While his numbers might not have been as gaudy in Minnesota with teammates Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, having Thomas in the mix would give the Vikings the deadliest receiving corps in the league. -- Courtney Cronin

New England Patriots

Second round of the 2017 draft (No. 64 overall)
Actual pick: Derek Rivers, DE, Youngstown State (after trading down to No. 83)
Do-over pick: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee

The Patriots' wheeling and dealing with draft picks has often produced solid results, but this was a case where it backfired on them. Entering the draft, they traded their second-round pick (No. 64) in exchange for defensive end Kony Ealy and a third-round pick (72). An eight-spot move down the draft board for Ealy seemed like a low-risk move at the time, but Ealy never made it out of training camp, as it was clear early that he wasn't a good scheme/program fit. Meanwhile, that eight-slot drop cost the Patriots a chance to select Kamara, a player coach Bill Belichick personally visited with before the draft. And then when the Patriots were ready to select C/G Dan Feeney at No. 72, the Chargers took him one slot before, which led to another trade down to regroup. Rivers might wind up being a solid player, but after missing his rookie season with a torn ACL, he had a quiet second season and was lower on the depth chart. So 2019 is a big year for him. -- Mike Reiss

New Orleans Saints

Second round of the 2014 draft (No. 58 overall)
Actual pick: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska
Do-over pick: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois

Sure, just about every team in the NFL would love to go back and take Jimmy G. But this should have been a strong consideration for the Saints, since Drew Brees was 35 at the time and Sean Payton knew Garoppolo well from their shared alma mater. Even if Garoppolo didn't wind up becoming Brees' heir apparent, they could have traded him for a premium draft choice. Instead, they got nothing out of Jean-Baptiste, who was cut after one season. -- Mike Triplett

New York Giants

First round of 2015 draft (No. 9 overall)
Actual pick: Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
Do-over pick: Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

Flowers started 48 games but didn't play well and was eventually cut. The Giants could've had Gurley and Odell Beckham Jr. growing up together one year apart. It would have left them in position to draft a quarterback several years later instead of Saquon Barkley. And it would've all made sense. The Giants' running backs at the time of the Flowers selection: Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams, Shane Vereen and Orleans Darkwa. -- Jordan Raanan

New York Jets

First round of the 2014 draft (No. 18 overall)
Actual pick: Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
Do-over pick: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State

The Jets gave up on Pryor after three years and now he's out of the league. One segment of the organization lobbied for Carr, but the Jets mistakenly stuck with Geno Smith -- a decision that proved disastrous. They did a poor job of scouting Pryor, who was undersized and athletically limited. -- Rich Cimini

Oakland Raiders

Second round of the 2016 draft (No. 44 overall)
Actual pick: Jihad Ward, DE, Illinois
Do-over pick: Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Maryland

The Raiders had three consecutive whiffs on second-round picks from 2015 through 2017, but let's go with the selection of Ward based on his lack of production in Oakland and, well, Oakland's current quandary at edge rusher and the dearth of production when it comes to sacking quarterbacks. Yes, we realize trading away Khalil Mack did not help matters, but when you consider Ward had all of one sack in 21 games for the Raiders and Ngakoue, who went 25 picks after Ward, has 29.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a touchdown and a Pro Bowl nod in 48 games for the Jaguars, well, there it is. More insult to injury -- Ward seemed to find his footing with three sacks for the Colts last season. -- Paul Gutierrez

Philadelphia Eagles

First round of the 2014 draft (No. 26 overall)
Actual pick: Marcus Smith, DE, Lousiville
Do-over pick: DeMarcus Lawrence, DE/OLB, Boise State

With their list of primary targets already off the board, the Eagles traded back and selected Smith, who was coming off a 16-sack season at Louisville. The production didn't transfer to the pros, as Smith notched just four sacks in three seasons with the Eagles before he was cut. Lawrence was taken eight picks later by Dallas and has 34 career sacks and two Pro Bowl appearances under his belt. -- Tim McManus

Pittsburgh Steelers

First round of 2016 draft (No. 25 overall)
Actual pick: Artie Burns, CB, Miami
Do-over pick: Xavien Howard, CB, Baylor

The Steelers scoured the earth for cornerbacks in 2016. They really liked William Jackson, who went No. 24 overall. So the Steelers zoned in on Burns, who showed flashes in his first two seasons but got benched in Year 3. Howard, a Pro Bowler in Miami, would have become a staple at outside corner opposite Joe Haden to solidify the Steelers' pass defense. -- Jeremy Fowler

San Francisco 49ers

First round of the 2016 NFL draft (No. 28 overall)
Actual pick: Joshua Garnett, G, Stanford
Do-over pick: Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State

A top receiver has been a need for the 49ers since Terrell Owens departed in 2003, but it was heightened further in 2016, when Anquan Boldin left. Plenty of fans and outside observers thought the Niners should use their second-round pick, which was No. 37 overall, on Thomas. Instead, San Francisco traded that pick, a fourth-round choice and a sixth-round choice to Kansas City for No. 28 and a seventh-round choice. Garnett showed promise as a rookie but has been plagued by injury while Thomas has been to two Pro Bowls and averaged 107 catches, 1,262 yards and eight touchdowns per season. The 49ers still find themselves seeking a top wideout and could have had Thomas without trading up. -- Nick Wagoner

Seattle Seahawks

Second round of the 2017 draft (No. 35 overall)
Actual pick: Malik McDowell, DL, Michigan State
Do-over pick: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC

McDowell was considered a boom-or-bust prospect because of well-documented questions about his effort, but no one could have predicted his Seattle career would end before it ever began when he suffered a head injury in an all-terrain vehicle accident that has prevented him from playing a down in the NFL. It got worse for the Seahawks when they replaced McDowell by trading another second-round pick for what turned out to be one underwhelming season from Sheldon Richardson. Smith-Schuster wouldn't have matched the production he's given Pittsburgh while playing in Seattle's run-heavy offense, but he would have given the Seahawks a No. 1 receiver with the type of big body they were seeking when they made another do-over-worthy selection by taking Amara Darboh in the third round (No. 106). -- Brady Henderson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Second round of the 2016 NFL draft (No. 59 overall)
Actual pick: Roberto Aguayo, K, Florida State
Do-over pick: Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Maryland

The Bucs could have selected anyone in this spot and it would have been better than Aguayo, who made it through just one season. While tempting to go with cornerback James Bradberry (who one could argue would have been a better pick at 11th overall instead of Vernon Hargreaves), the Bucs should have doubled up on pass-rushers by selecting Ngakoue, who has accumulated 29.5 sacks over the past three seasons. Noah Spence, the Bucs' other second-round pick, had some off-the-field concerns, so Ngakoue would have functioned as a safety net. Also, the aging Robert Ayers wasn't a long-term solution and you need a healthy rotation of pass-rushers, anyway. To win in the NFC South -- arguably the best quarterback division in the league -- you simply can't allow the ball to leave the quarterback's hands. -- Jenna Laine

Tennessee Titans

Second round of 2016 draft (No. 33 overall)
Actual pick: Kevin Dodd, OLB, Clemson
Do-over pick: Chris Jones, DT, Mississippi State

The Titans need another player who can get after the quarterback. They thought selecting Dodd would fill the void, but that ended up being a colossal mistake, as he isn't even in the NFL anymore. Jones was selected four picks later by the Chiefs and posted 15.5 sacks last season. -- Turron Davenport

Washington Redskins

First round of the 2016 draft (21st overall)
Actual pick: Josh Doctson, WR, TCU
Do-over pick: Chris Jones, DE, Mississippi State

The Redskins entered this draft needing help along the defensive line but didn't take any until the fifth round (a gem in Matt Ioannidis). That led to a trickle-down effect in the first round of the next two drafts, when they selected Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, respectively. They have a terrific young line corps, but had they selected Jones they could have added other parts to the defense instead the past two years-- maybe LB Tremaine Edmunds or S Derwin James last spring. Jones has become a force along the line -- he recorded 15.5 sacks last season -- and could have helped the Redskins in their base and substitution packages. Meanwhile, Doctson has caught a combined 81 passes in three seasons. -- John Keim

MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade made sure his final game in "Wade County" -- the place he has spent the vast majority of the past 16 years and, in doing so, has become the most beloved athlete in this city's history -- was fitting of the occasion.

After going through an emotional pregame ceremony, Wade went out and scored 30 points in 34 minutes Tuesday night to lead the Miami Heat to a 122-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. And while the win wasn't enough to keep Miami's slim playoff hopes alive -- they were extinguished the same evening when the Detroit Pistons pulled off a 20-point comeback in the second half to upend the Memphis Grizzlies -- it was the perfect way to cap Wade's Hall of Fame career at AmericanAirlines Arena, the scene of some of his greatest triumphs.

"It's meant everything," Wade said after the game. "To be able to come here and be embraced, to find a home, to be able to grow. I think that's the one thing. When I was on the court early on and Stan [Van Gundy] let me grow, as a player, to whether it was mistakes I made in life to whatever it was, this city has allowed me to grow.

"I hope they are proud of what they have helped me become. This city means everything to me. It's forever, forever, forever going to be my home."

Judging by the crowd's reactions throughout the game, it seems safe to assume fans are plenty proud of Wade's many accomplishments.

And on this night, the Heat celebrated all of them, beginning with a pregame ceremony complete with a video tribute of Wade's career that was narrated by a combination of family and significant figures from his legendary career.

"Man, you're going to make me cry before this game," Wade said once the video tribute was done. "Man, I love you guys.

"I'm thankful for this moment. I'm thankful for this entire season."

Wade, who was standing next to his oldest son, Zaire, and clearly was still emotional, then thanked every one of his teammates this season -- including those who had since been cut or traded -- by name.

"I thank you guys for dancing with me this year," Wade said. "I thank you guys for your patience this year. I thank you for all your love and for you having my back this year.

"I've got some brothers that will always be my brothers. I love you guys."

The tribute video began with Erik Spoelstra, who has been Wade's head coach for most of the past decade and whose first season as a full-time NBA assistant coincided with Wade's rookie season.

It then transitioned to Shaquille O'Neal, who narrated the first act of Wade's career -- covering the championship they won together in 2006.

From there, it shifted to the second act -- narrated by LeBron James and covering both the Big Three era in Miami, which saw the Heat win two titles and reach four NBA Finals in as many years, and Wade leaving to go to the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2015.

"Pressure like that could've hindered you," James said of the challenges that faced those Heat teams, "but instead, it hardened you, fortifying you as a player, a man and a leader.

"Then you reached the top of the mountain twice more. Different cast, same conclusion.

"Your second act saw your arrival as one of the most respected athletes on earth and your departure from the home that helped you get there," James continued.

The final act, including Wade's return to Miami last season, was narrated by three people: Wade's wife, actress Gabrielle Union; Udonis Haslem, Wade's longtime teammate; and Pat Riley, who either coached or ran the Heat for Wade's entire career.

"We cheered, we cried, we chanted your name all throughout the city and up to the rafters," Union said. "It was more than a reunion, it was a revival of the part you were meant to play -- from 'Flash' to 'Father Prime.'"

"And now, as you take the stage one final time, we celebrate you," Haslem said, "... as the player that fell down seven times, and stood up eight."

"Because no matter what new narratives lie ahead," Riley concluded, "know that this city will always be proud to rep your name across our backs, just as you carried us on yours.

"Because this is, and forever will be, Wade County."

The video then cut to Zaire Wade, who was shown walking into American Airlines Arena all by himself -- first mimicking some of his father's moves, from the pull-up midrange jumper to a pump fake -- before slowly walking up the steps of the arena bowl to a microphone, where he sat down and introduced his father, re-creating the Converse commercial he shot more than a decade ago.

When the lights came up, Zaire was standing at center court, where his father then walked to him and greeted him before addressing the crowd.

Throughout the video, Wade's eyes rarely left the big screens above him -- other than to briefly scan the crowd a couple of times. He kept moving around while stretching, but his eyes stayed locked above him as the tribute played.

Shortly thereafter, following Wade's speech to the crowd, he was given a full introduction by longtime Heat public address announcer Michael Baiamonte, as the final player announced in the starting lineup.

Spoelstra had declined to say beforehand whether Wade would start, but it would've been shocking if he hadn't made his first start of this season in what could have been his final game in this building -- and the coach admitted as much postgame.

"It was a no-brainer," Spoelstra said of his decision to start Wade. "There was no way I was not going to do this.

"It felt like old times. Everything fell right into place, like it was 2008. ... It was pretty cool."

Once Wade took the home court for a final time -- after spending a moment with Union and their young daughter at center court -- he did a lap around the floor, imploring the crowd to get on its feet.

And then, on the first play of the game, Wade curled into the lane for a wide-open dunk, much to the delight of the hometown fans.

That was just the beginning of what was a game-long celebration, as the Sixers -- who, with the third seed in the East playoffs locked up, had nothing to play for -- seemed to subconsciously do their best to get out of the way and allow Miami to have one last celebration for its all-time favorite player.

There were other tributes mixed in during the game -- the first and most notable being from former President Barack Obama, who praised Wade as a fellow Windy City native for his success.

"Whenever you got knocked back down, you showed us how to get back up," Obama said. "You showed Chicago spirit, and you did us proud."

The next timeout featured one of Wade's other sons, Zion, who had a message for his father.

"Now, after all that sweet stuff, don't lose your last home game," he said, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Thanks to both Wade, who had a vintage performance, and the Sixers, there wasn't much hope of that happening. And as the game wore on, the only question became how many points Wade would score.

It turned out to be 30 -- the same number another retiring superstar, Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, amassed in Dallas on Tuesday night. Wade did it in style too, banking in a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, as well as hitting a step-back 3-pointer right in front of Union -- who smacked him on the rear as he celebrated before running back on defense.

To top things off, Wade spent the fourth quarter on the floor with Haslem, his longtime friend and teammate. The two checked in together in the first minute of the fourth, then checked out again with 62 seconds left to a deafening standing ovation.

"At that moment, I just wanted to enjoy it a little bit more, just a little bit longer," Wade said. "It was great to end that last one with my brother.

"I wouldn't want it any other way. I was just trying to have fun. I got a couple shots to fall, and I got the crowd into it. It was cool."

The only thing that didn't go as scripted on the night was when Wade tried to perform his signature move after his postgame news conference on the court -- leaping onto the scorer's table and celebrating with the sellout crowd.

Only instead of leaping onto the scorer's table, Wade fell and crashed into it, leading him to crack a joke at his own expense on the public address system. Eventually, though, he managed to get up onto the table and salute the crowd one last time.

"It was three leaps. I wanted to keep it with No. 3," Wade, who wears 3 on his jersey, said later with a smile. You see how I turned a negative into a positive that fast?

"[But] that is the way I wanted to end it. I ended it in D-Wade fashion, falling and slipping and getting right back up."

Wade and Spoelstra both confirmed that he would be playing Wednesday night at the Brooklyn Nets, in what officially will be the final game of Wade's career.

How much he plays, though -- and whether he can come close to replicating what he did Tuesday -- remains to be seen.

"I plan on playing," Wade said. "I don't know how much, though. Tonight was my 'One Last Dance.' Tomorrow, we have another game, and we are going to have a lot of fans there that I love."

What won't be there, though, is the unconditional love he felt in Miami, the place where Wade became a household NBA name nationally and a patron saint locally -- one who gave his fans one final night to savor a throwback performance.

"I think, at this point, as you have one more game left, that's all you have ... you have these moments," Wade said. "You have the flashbacks in your mind. You have video to look at. [But] those moments, to be able to have these moments throughout your career, that's what you want when you're older ... that just is what it is.

"To be able to have cool moments throughout my career ... I've got stories to tell. I've got moments that I'll remember. Hopefully, I've created enough too, for this city and for these fans."

The Minnesota Timberwolves are planning to open a search for a new president of basketball operations, although owner Glen Taylor prefers to keep general manager Scott Layden and interim coach Ryan Saunders as part of a revised organizational structure, league sources told ESPN.

The Timberwolves are hopeful to award Saunders a multiyear deal as coach, sources said.

Once completed, Saunders is likely to get a three-year deal with a team option on the final season, sources said.

Layden has successfully sold himself to ownership as a front-office executive independent of the foibles by his past boss, Tom Thibodeau, sources said. Minnesota will survey the marketplace for possible front-office executives to place above Layden.

Layden survived the purge of Thibodeau in early January. Thibodeau had served as Minnesota's president and coach for two-plus years. Layden was previously a GM with the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks.

Saunders, 32, is the youngest head coach in the league. He has earned the endorsement of franchise star Karl-Anthony Towns.