National Basketball Association roundup

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[April 02, 2015]  April 1 (The Sports Xchange) - Oklahoma City Thunder star forward Kevin Durant, who could become a free agent in 2016, said he wants to stay with the team for his entire career.

"I love it here, man. I love my teammates, I love the city. I don't really think about anywhere else," Durant told Revolt TV in an interview, according to ESPN.com. "I'm one of those guys that would love to stick it out with one team my whole career.

"Kobe (Bryant), Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki type. That's awesome," he said. "But you never know what the future holds sometimes and how teams may feel about you after a while. But I love it here and I would love to get my jersey retired here."

The 26-year-old Durant has one more season remaining until his much-anticipated free agency in the summer of 2016. The Thunder could offer him both an extra year and more money than any other team by virtue of holding his so-called Bird rights.

Durant underwent foot surgery Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined four to six months.

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Miami Heat rookie guard Shabazz Napier underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia on Wednesday.

The team said he will miss the rest of the regular season, which concludes April 15. He is expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks, which leaves him questionable for any postseason action.

The Heat (34-40) hold the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, with the Brooklyn Nets (33-40), Boston Celtics (33-41) and Indiana Pacers (32-42) all within two games.

Napier, the team's first-round pick last year, averaged 5.1 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 51 games.

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The Los Angeles Lakers signed guard Jabari Brown to a multi-year contract.

Brown, previously signed to 10-day contracts on March 10 and March 20, has appeared in 10 games for the Lakers, averaging 9.4 points, 1.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game.

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The Lakers also officially waived guard Steve Nash, who announced his retirement Saturday after a 19-year NBA career.

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The Phoenix Suns signed guard Jerel McNeal to a 10-day contract.

McNeal has averaged 18.5 points, 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 27 games with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League this season.

This is the third NBA stint for the 27-year-old, who previously been with the New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz but has yet to play in an NBA game.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers recalled guard Joe Harris from the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League.

Harris has played in nine games for the Charge this season, averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31.7 minutes per game. He played in 47 games (one start) previously for the Cavs, averaging 2.5 points in 9.2 minutes. (Editing by Larry Fine)

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