IN THE LANE

RESPECTS PAID: During his appearance at the charity golf outing for the foundation of Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse, Heat point guard Kyle Lowry was asked about the legacy of NBA legend Bill Russell, who died at 88 last Sunday. “I think he meant a lot to the African-American community in general, that’s the most important thing,” Lowry said. “He was one of those guys who stood up and kind of pushed for African-Americans to have more freedom, more say and just to be more of everything. Basketball-wise? Just incredible. One of the greatest athletes, one of the greatest players to have ever played this game . . . player-coach, everything he was able to do. We wish he was still here because we want to show him more love, give him more flowers, and give him more everything.”

WAITING GAME: Just as the Heat are waiting on a decision on whether power forward Udonis Haslem will return for a 20th season with the team, the Golden State Warriors have the same open-door policy for a return by former Heat forward Andre Iguodala. “I leave Andre alone,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told The Athletic about a potential return by Iguodala, 38. “He knows where we stand. If he wants to come back, we’d love to have him. The one thing we feel strongly about with Andre is we want to give him whatever space and time he needs to make a decision. I’m leaving him alone. Whenever he makes his decision is fine with us.” Iguodala left the Heat last summer for a return to Golden State, where he has won titles in 2015, ‘17, ‘18 and ‘22. He appeared in 31 games for the Warriors last season, fewer than half he played for the Heat in 2020-21.

BACK AT IT: Yet to play for the Los Angeles Lakers after leaving the Heat last August in free agency, Kendrick Nunn said he finally is over the knee bone bruise that kept him out all of last season.“I feel great.

I feel a hundred percent, to be honest,” Nunn said in an interview with Spectrum SportsNet,“back to where I’m normally playing at a high level.” With the Lakers limited with their offseason moves by the salary cap, Nunn, who picked up his $5.2 million player option for 2022-23, said last season made him appreciate the game. “Last year was a learning process for me, to be honest,” he said. “I learned a lot, sitting on the sidelines just watching. The game slowed down a lot for me. I got to see things from a different perspective. So I definitely took a step, just with my ability to learn the game.” Nunn’s most recent action came in the Heat’s Game 4 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, when he scored 18 points.

STILL GOING: Nicknamed The Scavenger during his Heat tenure for the career he has cobbled together after going undrafted out of Kansas State in 2013 and then beginning his professional career in Hungary, Rodney McGruder is now locked in for a seventh NBA season after signing a guaranteed, one-year deal to return to the Detroit Pistons. McGruder’s winding road included being traded last season by the Pistons to the Denver Nuggets, seeing that deal voided when Bol Bol failed his Detroit physical, and then McGruder returning to close out the season with the Pistons. McGruder, 31, appeared in 51 games last season.