Heat guard Dion Waiters has been suspended for 10 games without pay, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Charania (Twitter link), the suspension is club-issued, with the Heat citing conduct detrimental to the team.
The Heat made their decision in the wake of Waiters experiencing a medical episode on a team flight after consuming a “gummy,” an edible form of marijuana. Per Charania (via Twitter), the club believes Waiters was given that gummy by a teammate, but the veteran guard hasn’t been willing to say where he got it from.
“We are very disappointed in Dion’s actions this season that include the very scary situation on Thursday night, and grateful that the outcome wasn’t worse,” the Heat said in a statement. “There have been a number of instances this season in which Dion has engaged in conduct detrimental to the team.
“… We expect all of our players, including Dion, to conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards, and to show professionalism and respect for their teammates, the team, the fans and the NBA community.”
According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter), Waiters’ suspension began on Friday when Miami faced the Lakers. As such, he’ll be eligible to return on December 1 in Brooklyn. Based on how his season has gone so far, however, it’s safe to say Waiters won’t be immediately reinserted into the Heat’s lineup at that point.
This is already the second time Waiters has been suspended in 2019/20 — the Heat also banned him for the first game of the season due to conduct detrimental to the team. Since then, he has been inactive for nearly all the club’s games and has yet to play a single regular-season minute.
The 27-year-old made additional waves when he took to social media following his first suspension and took shots at head coach Erik Spoeltra, commenting on one Instagram post, “I would win if I had Bron & Wade plus Bosh.” Winderman suggests (via Twitter) that Waiters’ social media posts were a factor in the latest discipline levied by the Heat.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), Waiters’ latest suspension will cost him in excess of $834K in salary. He’s also now ineligible to receive his $1.2MM bonus for playing in at least 70 games, though that looked like a long shot anyway, based on how the first few weeks of the season played out.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
is there any language in the NBA labor agreement that let’s a team void a contract like the NFL has ?
No the NBA isn’t a slave owning sport like the nfl
The inmates run the asylum, as the late Bob McNair would say.
The NBA has the strictest rules of all the major sports. Try again.
The nba really needs to change its rules regarding marijuana
Or maybe player need to stop thinking the rules don’t apply to them and they can do whatever they want.
Dude…He was working. If Waiters wants to do gummies at home to the extent he has a seizure, fine. But if I am on a work trip and I take so many gummies on the plane I have a seizure…I get fired.
At what point in the history of mankind is it beneficial to light something on fire and then suck in the fumes of said burning instrument?
It’s just another one of those things that makes you feel good for a little while but does long-term damage.
Actually marijuana smoke hasn’t been proven to have all of the negative health effects that tobacco smoke does. Millions of people die every year from cigarette smoking and alcohol, but no one has ever died from health issues brought on from smoking pot.
Except perhaps from obesity brought on by overeating.
I see what you’re saying, but maybe some deaths as result of impaired driving..
Seriously though why would I want to take part of my day and do something to put myself into a stupor? Just to vegetate and relax and hang out and be out of mind? Seriously though?
Is life so rotten? I understand the pain aspect but if there’s pain that’s a signal something’s wrong with your body so instead of band aiding it why not get it fixed?
That’s probably simplifying it but I guess the bottom line is I don’t understand why people that are healthy put themselves in a stupor several hours each day. Just because it feels good.
Sounds like you could use a joint, man.
Waiters doesn’t have tegrity.
I feel like they should have just left this alone, or maybe threw in time served. Maybe add another couple of games, but another 10 seems excessive. It’s almost like he is being punished again for the first issues that should have already been considered over. It goes back to letting so much fly with Whiteside, they need to set examples, and Riley isnt messing around
By the way, best guess for which teammate? My money is I guess on JJ, but Duncan Robinson, KO, or Meyers Leonard would be really funny. If it was Nunn, that’s next level jedi stuff lol
I think you’re right. If this had been another player it might have been swept under…. but I think they’re regretting this contract. This way they can get some money back, at least 10 games worth.
Contract was only bad b/c of the injuries. They’re rightfully mad about Dion making those original comments, and making that big deal about role, a couple of days before the season, after such a good offseason and training camp. And the entitlement behind him was ridiculous. Dude, you’ve been injured for 3 years and complain about playing time before the season even starts? He was going to have a legit role too.
Goran Dragic is coming off the bench. He only lost his starting spot b/c of injury last year, but he knows it helps this team, and he’s still going to get minutes, and close games. So, like a professional, he does his job, even though he could lose some money in free agency, which isnt even an issue for Waiters, signed past this season.
Dwyane Wade, supposedly an inspiration to Dion, came off the bench in his final season without issue. That by itself….like dude, just shut up, and play the way you’re capable of playing, and let that do the talking for you. Be a winner
Yez, exactly.
I respect the guy for having a panic attack from too much THC from another person. I think he could help a team, if he was traded for another player with a negative trade value.