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Poll: Will Dion Waiters Play For Heat This Season?

November 12th, 2019 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Dion Waiters will serve the second game of his 10-game suspension on Tuesday night as the Heat host the Pistons, and the team wasn’t saying much about his situation on Monday, as Khobi Price of The South Florida Sun Sentinel details. With Waiters ineligible to return until December 1, we’ll have to wait and see what the next step is for the franchise and the 27-year-old guard, who has yet to play a single minute this season.

Assuming Miami isn’t hit hard by the injury bug during the rest of November, it’s probably safe to assume the club’s rotation will be relatively set by the end of the month, meaning there won’t be minutes waiting for Waiters when his suspension ends, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. If that’s the case, it will be interesting to see how Waiters responds, since his one-game suspension to open the season was related to expressing displeasure with his role.

According to Shams Charania of Stadium (video link), the Heat have made it clear to Waiters that they want him to earn a role, but he’ll have to get back in the team’s good graces before that happens. Even then, there’s no guarantee the former No. 4 overall pick would play regular minutes for Miami.

If there’s no path to a rotation spot for Waiters, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Heat could pay him to stay home. In fact, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel estimates there’s a 50-50 chance that it plays out that way, suggesting that the over/under for Waiters appearances this season might have to be set at zero.

Even if Waiters remains away from the Heat though, there’s “zero chance” the team will release him at this point, Winderman writes in a separate Sun Sentinel article. Waiters still has two years remaining on his contract, with a guaranteed $12.65MM cap hit for the 2020/21 season, so unless he agrees to give up some of his guaranteed salary in a buyout agreement – which he has no incentive to do – it makes more sense to keep him around. In theory, he could be used as a salary-matching chip in a trade at some point.

For now though, the plan is ostensibly for Waiters to serve his time, rejoin the Heat, and work to earn minutes. In today’s poll, we want to know if that’s how you think this saga plays out. Will Waiters play another game for the Heat or not?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Dion Waiters Suspended For 10 Games

November 10th, 2019 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Latest On Dion Waiters

November 9th, 2019 at 9:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

The medical episode that Heat guard Dion Waiters experienced during a team flight was a panic attack that resulted from “consuming a THC-infused edible,” sources tell Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The incident happened after Thursday’s game in Phoenix, which Waiters missed because of a stomachache. He was trying to relieve that condition when he took a substance that he wasn’t familiar with, according to the ESPN writers, and received medical treatment when the plane landed in Los Angeles. Heat officials declined to comment on the report.

THC is included on the NBA’s list of banned substances. The league, its teams and the Players Association are all prohibited from releasing information about the testing or treatment of players in the anti-drug program, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad. The only exceptions involve suspension or dismissal of players for drug violations.

Nahmad notes that players with marijuana violations are required to enter into the league’s marijuana program. There is no penalty for a first violation, but the league imposes a $25K fine for a second offense, a five-game suspension for a third offense and longer suspensions for subsequent violations (Twitter link).

South Florida Fox Sports Radio host Andy Slater reported Friday that Waiters overdosed on “gummies,” which is a term for an edible form of marijuana. Gummies have been readily available in Denver, where the Heat began their latest road trip, since Colorado legalized recreational marijuana.

Waiters has yet to play this season and has only been on the bench for two of the team’s nine games. His contract includes a $1.2MM bonus if he plays 70 games, but that seems unthinkable now, especially in light of the new revelations. Waiters is signed through the end of next season and is owed a total of $24.75MM.

Dion Waiters Suffers Medical Episode On Team Flight

November 9th, 2019 at 11:34am CST by marksuleymanov

In the latest chapter of what’s been a troubling season for Dion Waiters, the Heat swingman reportedly suffered a seizure after the team plane landed in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

As first reported by South Florida Fox Sports Radio host Andy Slater (Twitter links), Waiters suffered a “medical emergency” on the flight. Slater noted that Waiters overdosed on “gummies,” a term for an edible form of marijuana. Waiters was passed out when the plane landed and suffered the seizure once he was awoken, Slater added.

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel confirmed that Waiters fell ill on that Thursday night flight. Winderman mentioned that its unclear whether or not Slater’s report of “gummies” was referencing marijuana but they are easily accessible in Denver, where the Heat began a three-game road trip against the Nuggets.

The Heat have not confirmed any of these reports outside of listing Waiters as unavailable for Friday’s loss to the Lakers due to “illness,” without further specification.

Waiters, 27, was expected to be a key contributor for Miami this season but instead has yet to suit up. It all started with a one-game suspension ahead of the club’s season opener in late October.

“There were a number of unacceptable incidents this week, culminating with his unprofessional conduct on the bench last night,” team president Pat Riley said at the time. “As a consequence, I feel we had to suspend him.”

The issue proved to be a heated conversation with head coach Erik Spoelstra over Waiters’ playing time. He played for just 10 minutes during the Heat’s final preseason game, which led to the blowup. Following the suspension, Waiters was critical of the team and Spoelstra on social media, commenting on one Instagram post, “I would win if I had Bron & Wade plus Bosh.”

Since then, Waiters has been active for a few of the Heat’s games and been a regular at shootaround, However, he has yet to play in a regular-season game and has not been on the bench for a single game. On Friday, we relayed uncertainty around Waiters’ status with the team.

After this latest development, Waiters’ personal health and well being will be at the forefront of the team’s concerns. However, it’s fair to wonder if Waiters — who has two years and $25MM left on his deal — will ever play for the Heat again.

Latest On Dion Waiters

November 8th, 2019 at 12:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dion Waiters has yet to play for the Heat this season and it’s fair to wonder if he will ever play for the team again, as a trade remains possible.

Yet, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears that “no palatable trade scenario” has emerged for Waiters. Miami isn’t interested in attaching an asset to Waiters to move him, especially if the team receives a lesser player in return.

The best-case scenario for Waiters and the team may be to start fresh, despite Waiters’ social media jabs at the team, the suspension, and the reported conditioning issues. The former top-five pick may not warrant a huge role for this deep Heat roster. However, his offensive skill set could provide the team with value off of the bench.

Waiters has two seasons and roughly $25MM left on his deal. The shooting guard has spent the last three seasons with the Heat after stints with the Thunder and Cavs.

Hassan Whiteside Discusses Departure From Heat

November 7th, 2019 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Hassan Whiteside won’t face his old team until January 5, when the Heat host the Trail Blazers, but Miami-based reporter Shandel Richardson of The Athletic caught up with the former Heat big man this week to discuss the trade that sent him to Portland in July.

According to Whiteside, both he and the Heat felt it was time to move on, and he doesn’t bear any “ill will” toward any staffers or former teammates in Miami. While there may be a perception that Whiteside left the Heat on bad terms, he insists that wasn’t the case, telling Richardson that Miami is “a great place to live” and that he’s still friendly with head coach Erik Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley.

In his conversation with Richardson, Whiteside addressed several other aspects of the deal that sent him from Miami to Portland, including whether or not he knew it was coming and what factors he believe led to the move.

If you have an Athletic subscription, the discussion is worth checking out in full, but here are a few of the more noteworthy comments from the Trail Blazers center:

On when he realized his time in Miami was nearing an end:

“We were working on something. It was something that I talked to them about, about getting traded. We talked about it within the last two years. We figured it out. I wanted to go somewhere I can play more and be more of a guy on the court. It’s never been about anything but that. I always just wanted to play. I could’ve sat back and chilled and collected checks, but I wanted to play.”

On the factors that led to the Heat trading him:

“I think the deciding factor was I got older. I’m 30 now. They bring in younger guys. I had four or five years at it. We got to the second round of the playoffs. We made the playoffs a couple of times. They just wanted to bring in new guys. That’s the business of it. It’s tough, especially when you’re seeing guys every day. But I’m used to it. I’ve played on so many teams. I’m not taking anything personal. I’m happy on my new team. I don’t really have anything much to say about the Heat. That chapter is over. I said my goodbyes. We had great memories. We had tough losses. That’s pretty much it for me.”

On facing criticism in Miami for not contributing at a level commensurate with his lucrative salary:

“Regardless of how many minutes I played in Miami, I always averaged a double-double. I always was top in defensive rating. You can look it up. I was No. 1 in the last year protecting the rim. Every year, you could say one thing but the numbers speak for themselves.

“A lot of people liked my 2015/16 season. I don’t even think that was my best season. I think my best season was the season I played the most the following year. I led the NBA in rebounds and averaged (17) points. That was my best year, the year after my contract. Unfortunately, I got an early season bone bruise the next year after I got 20 points and 20 rebounds (against Orlando). Then I missed a lot of games and basically times just got rocky.”

How Nunn Ended Up In Miami

November 6th, 2019 at 10:07am CST by Luke Adams

Kendrick Nunn‘s agent Adam Pensack tells Aldridge that he “pushed pretty strongly” in his attempt to get his client a 10-day contract with an NBA team last season. When that didn’t happen, Pensack and Nunn went looking for an NBA home once the G League season ended. The Kings brought in several players for a workout and told them they’d sign the best player in the group. Sacramento chose B.J. Johnson over Nunn, opening the door for the former Oakland standout to catch on with the Heat a week later. We explored that deal in more depth last week.
Here’s more from Heat director of scouting Chet Kammerer on why the team signed Nunn and spent time developing him: “Coach (Erik) Spoelstra is big right now on having guys that are versatile, on guys that aren’t one-dimensional. It’s the fact we saw a couple of things. He was really versatile. He always seemed like a tough kid, physically and mentally tough. To me, he was hard to guard. When we played them, he found ways. It was tough to stay in front of the guy. He’s an attacker. He competes hard. He was a better shooter than all of us thought, too. You look at his percentages, and we said, ‘This is a guy can shoot the ball.’ You look at all of those things, and that’s a Heat guy, to us.”

[SOURCE LINK]

Latest On Dion Waiters

November 6th, 2019 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

After being activated for the first time this season on Sunday vs. Houston, Dion Waiters was back on the inactive list for the Heat on Tuesday, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

As Winderman observes, the question of when Waiters will return appears to be turning into a question of if he’ll return. The veteran guard has yet to play in a game this season, and two-way player Chris Silva and little-used big man Udonis Haslem were among those active ahead of him in Denver on Tuesday.

“Dion will not be active. He will work out,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said before Tuesday’s game. “I met with him. He and I talked. Things are a little bit fluid right now, because we have everybody available right now, which is a good thing. And then we’ll continue to work it out.”

Waiters’ situation has been a “weird subplot” during an otherwise strong start to the season for the Heat, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who tweets that the team hasn’t found “anything palatable” on the trade market for the 27-year-old.

In a separate story for the Sun Sentinel, Winderman wonders if the Heat simply don’t want to risk compromising the good chemistry the team has developed in the first two weeks of the season by re-inserting Waiters in the mix. Winderman also speculates that the negative comments Waiters made on social media in the wake of his one-game suspension to open the season may have represented a tipping point for the Heat.

As Winderman points out in another story, Heat president Pat Riley is treating the Waiters situation a little differently than he did when Hassan Whiteside complained about his playing time in recent years. With Whiteside, Riley nudged Spoelstra to make the situation work and find a role for the big man. In Waiters’ case, Riley appears content to leave the ball in Spoelstra’s court, per Winderman.

Jimmy Butler: “Nobody Really Knows What Went On In Philly”

November 4th, 2019 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler‘s departure from the Sixers wasn’t simply a desire to play in Miami. He had some issues in Philadelphia which convinced him not to sign long-term with the organization, as he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Butler made it known in the days leading up to free agency that he would leave Philadelphia, Haynes continues.

“Nobody knows what really went on in Philly and we’re going to leave it that way,” Butler said. “But it was a great opportunity for me.”

Butler chose the Heat on the first day of free agency and secured a four-year, $141MM contract when the Sixers agreed to a sign-and-trade that involved multiple teams.

Butler said his problems with the Sixers organization had nothing to doing with center Joel Embiid. Butler refused to elaborate what exactly led to his decision.

“All of that will come out whenever it’s time,” he said. “Right now is not the time. I’m locked in with this. I’m happy, man. … I’m not saying Philly wasn’t great, man. We had some really good players. I talk to Joel (daily). It’s a brotherhood, man. I love that guy. I’m going to always have his back and I know he’ll always have mine.”

Butler noted that he wanted to be traded to Miami when he had a falling out with the Timberwolves. He also expressed disdain for critics who believe that he’s not an franchise player.

“(They) act like I’m not a good basketball player,” Butler said. “Like for real. Just think about that. Like I can’t come in and make a huge difference. I’m not going to say ‘carry a team’ because nobody can do it by themselves and I mean that. I’m not putting it all on myself, but I know what I’m capable of.”

In his first three games with the Heat, Butler has averaged 14.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 7.3 APG and 4.3 SPG. His debut was delayed due to the birth of his daughter.

Heat Notes: Herro, Waiters, Winslow, Butler, Arena

November 3rd, 2019 at 5:27pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat rookie Tyler Herro has impressed during his first five games with the franchise, scorching teams on the offensive end and displaying a level of maturity not typically seen in 19-year-old players.

Herro, the No. 13 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, has averaged 16.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 32.2 minutes per contest thus far. He holds shooting marks of 45% from the floor and 36% from three-point range, starting in three of those five games. He’s slated to once again come off the bench against Houston on Sunday night.

“This is my first time [coming off the bench], but I’m willing to do whatever coach wants me to do,” Herro said, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “Whether it’s start or come off the bench — whatever is best for the team.

“I’ve never come off the bench, so as long as I’m playing my minutes — and however much coach thinks that should be. But as long as I’m playing my minutes that I’ve earned, then I’m good.”

Many league observers tabbed Herro as most likely to start at shooting guard for Miami this season, but the elevated play from fellow rookie Kendrick Nunn (22.4 PPG on 52% shooting) has kept Herro from receiving a solidified starting role.

The Heat have opened the 2019/20 season at 4-1, with their only loss coming on the road to Minnesota during the second half of a back-to-back.

There’s more out of Miami tonight:

Dion Waiters will be available to play for the Heat in their home game against the Rockets on Sunday, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Waiters was suspended by the team for their first game after expressing frustration over his lack of playing time in the preseason, with the 27-year-old being listed as out since then.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel examines whether a Justise Winslow–Jimmy Butler pairing will work for the team. Both Winslow and Butler share similar play styles, working hard on the defensive end while mostly operating inside the arc offensively.
TD Bank has had serious discussions with Miami-Dade County to acquire naming rights for the Heat’s arena, Jackson writes for the Miami Herald. One source labeled TD Bank as front-runners to acquire naming rights for the arena, according to Jackson, though another source cautioned that other companies still remain in the mix. American Airlines will not be pursuing a renewal of its 20-year contract for naming rights.