Dion Waiters

Dion Waiters Makes Impression In Season Debut

January 25th, 2020 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Injuries forced the Heat to give Dion Waiters his first playing time of this season Friday, and he responded with a performance that may result in more opportunities, writes David Wilson of The Miami Herald.

Waiters had 14 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes and nearly helped Miami pull off a comeback against the Clippers. He blocked a pair of late shots, then hit a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left that brought the Heat to within three points.

“He’s got big cajones, man, and you can definitely see it in his swagger,” Bam Adebayo said. “That’s what Dion’s all about: making the big shots, big plays and he’s built for those moments.”

Waiters’ chance came because Miami was short on wing players with Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic sidelined with injuries and Jimmy Butler leaving the game with a sprained ankle. There had been speculation that Waiters may not play at all this season because of off-the-court issues that included three separate suspensions. His contract, which carries a $12.65MM salary for next season, was considered virtually untradeable, and the Heat reportedly decided against trying to have it voided only because they didn’t want a confrontation with the players’ union.

Waiters now has a chance to escape the doghouse in Miami after learning that he would be active for Friday’s game when coach Erik Spoelstra sent him a FaceTime message earlier in the day. After the game, Spoelstra called him a “fearless” player who embraces the opportunity to make big plays. Waiters didn’t speak to the media, but is expected to be available following tomorrow’s practice.

“He definitely has been putting the work in behind the scenes. He has done his best to be a true professional,” Meyers Leonard said. “Had K-Nunn and Goran not been out, I don’t know if Dion comes in, but that’s part of being in the NBA. People get hurt, that’s when people get opportunities. People don’t play well and that’s when people get opportunities.”

Heat Notes: Winslow, Silva, Johnson, Adebayo

January 11th, 2020 at 8:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Justise Winslow is expected to see a back specialist this week after leaving the Heat during their current road trip, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Winslow missed 15 straight games with a lower-back bruise before playing 16 minutes Wednesday in Indiana. However, he didn’t play last night and was already ruled out of tomorrow’s game.

“It didn’t respond the way we would have liked, so we’re going to take a step back,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But certainly we don’t feel comfortable.”

Injuries have limited Winslow to just 11 games in his first season after signing a three-year, $39MM extension. He is averaging 11.3 PPG, but shooting just 38.8% from the field. Most of his minutes have gone to Derrick Jones Jr.

There’s more from Miami:

Expect the Heat to convert Chris Silva‘s two-way contract into a multi-year deal this week, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Silva is running out of NBA days on his current contract, and Tuesday is the first day that Miami can accommodate another player on a standard deal under its hard cap restrictions. The team may offer a contract three years or longer so it will have Bird rights on Silva, just as it did with Kendrick Nunn. Wednesday is the last day this season that players can be signed to two-way contracts, so the Heat will have to act quickly to lock up Silva’s replacement.
Team president Pat Riley took a positive tone in a recent meeting with James Johnson and Dion Waiters, Jackson writes in a separate story. Riley was hoping to point both players in a better direction after Johnson failed to meet conditioning standards in training camp and Waiters racked up three early-season suspensions. “It was just the three of us,” Johnson said. “It was heartfelt, all encouragement. He’s got our back. That meeting was one of our new leaf-turners. It was an eye opener but also a relief.” A source tells Jackson that the Heat have decided not to risk a battle with the players union by attempting to void Waiters’ contract.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich provided some motivation with his message to Bam Adebayo when he was cut from the U.S. World Cup team this summer, Jackson relays in another piece. “He said I wasn’t ready,” Adebayo said. “Everybody has their opinions, so I guess it was his opinion I wasn’t ready.” A strong candidate for an All-Star berth, Adebayo will face Popovich and the Spurs on Wednesday.

Heat Notes: Butler, Waiters, Roster, Dragic

December 29th, 2019 at 2:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After a hard-fought 117-116 overtime win over his old Sixers team Saturday, the Heat’s new All-Star wing Jimmy Butler reflected on the mentality of this year’s much improved Miami squad, Ira Winderman of the Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

“We can’t be happy with where we are,” Butler said. “Nobody in this locker room is, nobody in this organization is. We’ve got a couple of more levels to get this thing up before it gets real.”

The Heat sit at 24-8, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. They have won their last five games in a row.

In a separate piece for the Sun-Sentinel, Winderman notes that coach Erik Spoelstra is not concerned with Butler’s shooting percentages through 28 games this season. Butler is shooting 42.6% from the field and 27.6% from three-point range.

“It’s early in the season. It will level out,” Spoelstra noted. “I don’t even look at the field-goal percentage number. If you factor in free-throw attempts and free throws, he is one of the most efficient offensive basketball players in the league.”

Butler is connecting on 83% of his 9.4 free throw attempts per game.

There’s more out of South Beach:

Embattled Heat off-guard Dion Waiters has returned to practice, according to Khobi Price of the Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has yet to see on-court action this season, having been suspended three times thus far. Waiters has played just 120 of a possible 278 games during his stormy tenure in Miami, due to injuries and suspensions. The No. 4 pick in 2012 is currently in the third year of a fully-guaranteed four-year, $52MM contract he signed in the summer of 2017.
Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel spoke with an anonymous Eastern Conference NBA advance scout about how the Heat stack up against the top-seeded team in the East, the Bucks. “You have the best player in the league in Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. He’s really hard to stop. You really have to be solid in the middle,” the scout told Winderman. “I think Miami has the ability with [Bam] Adebayo and [Meyers] Leonard and some big guys. You can’t let him get into the middle.”
The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang takes a look at the friendship and on-court chemistry blossoming between Butler and the Heat’s most recent All-Star, Goran Dragic, now their sixth man. Chiang observes that, across the 284 on-court minutes Butler and Dragic have shared this season, Miami has outscored opposing teams by 66 points. “[Dragic] is moving up on my all-time favorite teammates list,” Butler said.

Charania’s Latest: Holiday, Zion, Nuggets, Knicks

December 27th, 2019 at 2:22pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Earlier today, we passed along Shams Charania’s report of Dewayne Dedmon wanting out of Sacramento. The big man hasn’t played in eight of the last 10 games for the Kings and both sides believe that the situation is unsalvagable.

Charania also passed along other tidbits from around the league in his latest piece on The Athletic. Here are the highlights:

One of Jrue Holiday‘s priorities is being in a winning situation, a source tells Charania, and that’s not something the Pelicans are currently providing him. Rival teams believe that Holiday is the type of piece who would help lift a team to a new level. The Nuggets and Heat are believed to be possible destinations should David Griffin trade the point guard, Charania notes.
Zion Williamson is expected to begin contract drills and practices within the next week or two and the Pelicans want the No. 1 overall pick to continue to get leaner prior to his return. The franchise has focused on refining his eating habits as well. Charania adds the Pelicans “fully anticipate” Williamson playing this season.
The Nuggets are open to dealing Juan Hernangomez and Malik Beasley, though both players have high asking prices. Some rival executives expect the team to move both Hernangomez and Beasley, as each restricted free agent is expected to garner a lucrative deal in free agency.
The Heat have not closed the door on Dion Waiters playing for the team again. Pat Riley recently met with Waiters and James Johnson, making it clear to each that Miami would like to reintegrate both players into team activities.
Rival teams believe Dennis Smith Jr. would prefer a trade from the Knicks and several clubs have inquired about the point guard.
We’ve seen several G-League call ups this season and James Palmer Jr., who is playing for the Agua Caliente Clippers, could be next, Charania writes.

Southeast Notes: Payton, Waiters, Collins

December 24th, 2019 at 6:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

In his season debut with the Wizards Monday, Gary Payton II looked a lot like his Hall of Fame father, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Some of the resemblance was the familiar No. 20 — the first time the younger Payton has worn his dad’s number in his brief NBA career — but a lot was performance. After being signed out the G League, Payton flew to Washington for a physical and arrived at Madison Square Garden shortly before the start of the game with the Knicks. He came off the bench to post 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six steals in 34 minutes.

“I told him at the end of the game; he changed the whole game around. He really did,” teammate Ish Smith said. “He came in that second quarter, him and (Justin Robinson), and at the top of that zone, they were so disruptive.”

Payton hopes to find a lasting NBA home after short stays with the Bucks and Lakers, followed by three games with the Wizards last season. He figures to get plenty of minutes in Washington’s next game while Isaiah Thomas completes his suspension, but his future beyond that is uncertain.

“It’s one game. You can’t get overly excited, but I love players that have stories like this,” coach Scott Brooks said. “You cheer for them. You want them to have success. They fought. They’ve been cut. They almost made it. They’ve been cut. They fought. They’ve been cut. And hopefully, he plays well enough to stick with us.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Payton’s new contract is a non-guaranteed one-year deal that carries a $1,090,781 base salary and a $1,052,909 cap hit, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Payton will earn $9,485 for each day he remains on the Wizards‘ roster.
Dion Waiters worked out today with a few teammates and some of the coaching staff after his latest suspension ended Monday, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat won’t practice again until Thursday, but Waiters took advantage of the chance to get some extra work in. It still appears doubtful that he will be used in any games this season.
The Hawks are optimistic that they can salvage something after a 6-25 start, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Before John Collins returned from a 25-game suspension last night, their young core of Collins, Trae Young and Kevin Huerter had only played together for 19 minutes this season. “I feel like there’s a little bit of a relief factor that comes along with the guy that you expected to have throughout the season, and now you have him back now getting acclimated to regular basketball activities,” Collins said. “I feel like it’s definitely a relief for everyone.”

Latest On Dion Waiters

December 23rd, 2019 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

Dion Waiters‘ latest six-game suspension with the Heat will be over after tonight’s game, but there’s no resolution in sight for the standoff between the team and the veteran guard, writes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link). Miami wants to find a way to move on from Waiters, but is reluctant to waive him outright and has had no luck finding a trade partner.

“The Waiters contract is as close to untradeable that I have ever seen in the NBA,” one league executive told Marks.

That might be an exaggeration, as Waiters’ $12.1MM cap hit this season and $12.65MM salary for 2020/21 aren’t as onerous as the figures we’ve seen on some multiyear contracts moved in the past. Still, Waiters certainly has negative trade value, and the Heat are unwilling to attach any of their promising young players like Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, or Duncan Robinson to make a deal happen, Marks writes.

Miami’s ability to offer a first-round pick as a sweetener is also limited, since the team owes a pair of future first-rounders to Oklahoma City. On top of that, the Heat don’t want to take on any money that stretches beyond next season, since they want to keep their books as clean as possible to pursue a star free agent such as Giannis Antetokounmpo in the summer of 2021. And they can’t take on any extra salary this season due to their hard cap.

All those roadblocks add up to make a Waiters trade a difficult proposition, but a buyout appears no more viable. According to Marks, every team he spoke to at last week’s G League Showcase in Las Vegas believes that Waiters’ NBA career is likely over, so the 28-year-old won’t be motivated to give back any of his salary.

With Waiters set to become eligible to return from his latest suspension after Monday’s game, we’ll see if the Heat take any action with him this week — having him remain away from the team while still receiving his salary would be one option. Barring an unlikely turn of events, he has probably played his last game for the franchise.

Heat Notes: Culture, Wade, Butler, Jones

December 21st, 2019 at 12:29pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Michael Lee of The Athletic takes a look at the infamous Heat culture that has Miami off to a red-hot 21-8 start this season, surprising many. The Heat are the No. 3 seed in the East. Their mix of savvy veterans like Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic and fast-developing youth has been stellar. The roster is decorated with diverse players sporting the ability to switch across multiple positions and handle the rock.

17-year Heat lifer Udonis Haslem credits Miami’s front office, captained by team president Pat Riley, with putting together their impressive depth. “They do a great job of digging down and getting these diamonds in the rough,” Haslem raved. “You know it’s not always draft picks. It’s not always free agency. Sometimes, it’s getting your hands dirty, getting in the mud and going to the G League, picking up a guy that’s been waived from another team, doing your homework, getting an undrafted [player].”

Here’s more out of Miami:

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald unpacks an extensive recent Dwyane Wade conversation with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on their new Showtime video podcast All The Smoke. Wade touched on the Heat’s recent drama with oft-suspended wing Dion Waiters. “It’s unfortunate what’s going on with him,” Wade told Barnes and Jackson. “The kid loves to hoop. What we’re seeing right now is now that the game was taken away from him, he doesn’t know how to deal with it.” Wade also discussed a desire to return to the Heat one day in an organizational capacity. “I would love to migrate back to the organization as I figure out what my life is going to be about and continue to give back to that city as they gave to me for so many years,” he said during the podcast.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel observes that 30 year-old Jimmy Butler‘s “odometer” as an All-NBA talent puts the current Heat in conflict with their supposed 2021 free agency plan. The team only has $60MM committed to their books during a summer when talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Bradley Beal, Victor Oladipo, Jrue Holiday, and, yes, LeBron James could all become available.
The return of Goran Dragic to the Heat’s bench unit could serve as a boon for developing small forward Derrick Jones, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald details. “Goran gets downhill, makes my guy guard him and he just puts the ball in the air and lets me do the rest,” Jones observed. The athletic fourth-year swingman has been one of the team’s best wing defenders in limited minutes, and has now developed an outside shooting game, averaging 34.6% from deep this season. When guard Justise Winslow returns to the lineup from his back injury, Jackson opines that coach Erik Spoelstra should expand his rotation to 10 players to accommodate the improving Jones.

NBPA Appeals Dion Waiters’ Latest Suspension

December 18th, 2019 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

For a third time this season, the National Basketball Players Association is appealing a Dion Waiters suspension, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

As Winderman explains, the NBPA’s appeal isn’t intended to reduce Waiters’ current six-game suspension or get him on the court any faster. The union’s goal is to recoup some or all of the salary the Heat guard has lost as a result of the ban.

The NBPA filed similar appeals following Waiters’ one-game and 10-game suspensions earlier this season, as we relayed last month. In total, the three suspensions have sidelined Waiters for 17 games and have reduced his 2019/20 salary by $1.419MM. Additionally, because he won’t appear in at least 70 games, Waiters has missed out on a $1.2MM bonus, though that lost bonus hasn’t been appealed by the players’ union, per Winderman.

The appeals, which could be heard individually or concurrently, are unlikely to happen anytime in the near future, according to Winderman, who notes that the NBPA hasn’t asked to expedite the appeals. They’ll likely happen a few months from now, and may result in Waiters’ camp and the Heat reaching a settlement brokered by the union, Winderman writes.

Although the appeals will determine how much salary Waiters ultimately loses, they’ll have no impact on the Heat’s salary cap or tax situation, since all three suspensions have been issued by the team rather than the league.

Waiters’ current six-game ban runs through December 23, so he’ll be eligible to return on December 27 when the Heat host the Pacers. Still, considering the veteran guard has yet to play this season and the club is reportedly exploring options to get rid of him, it seems increasingly unlikely that he’ll see any action for Miami this season.

Heat Exploring Options To Get Rid Of Dion Waiters

December 15th, 2019 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are looking for ways to unload Dion Waiters, who is serving his third suspension of the season, reports Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Two sources tell Jackson that the latest ban was the last straw regarding Waiters’ future in Miami. Management had been open to putting him back on the court if there were no further incidents, but his latest violation of team rules has ended that possibility.

Another source tells Jackson that Waiters is opposed to accepting a buyout that would cost him any of the $12.1MM he is making this year or the $12.7MM he is owed next season. The only thing that might change his mind is if he believes another team is interested in signing him, helping him recoup whatever money he parts with in a buyout. He has already lost $1.4MM because of the suspensions, which total 17 games.

The Heat are willing to offer a buyout, and Jackson was told that every option is “on the table” for resolving the situation. A team source admits that management has explored options for voiding Waiters’ contract, but there are concerns about a potential legal battle with the players union.

Jackson notes that the most likely scenario is for the Heat to continue paying Waiters while keeping him away from the team, an arrangement that he would have to approve. That enables Miami to use his salary as filler if a trade opportunity arises between now and February of next season. So far, no teams have expressed any interest in dealing for Waiters.

Ethan Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports reported this morning that Waiters’ latest suspension was triggered by an Instagram post that showed him on a boat when the team was led to believe he was sick. A source tells Skolnick that the suspension was imposed because of the cumulative effect of Waiters’ actions and team president Pat Riley’s emphasis on maintaining Heat “Culture.”

A source explained to Jackson that the post was one of many factors in the decision to suspend Waiters again.

Skolnick confirms that the team hasn’t made any progress in finding a taker for Waiters, with one source telling him, “There’s been no interest. None. Zip.” The Heat have been reluctant so far to include another asset such as a young player or a draft pick to make a deal happen.

Heat Unlikely To Pursue Termination Of Waiters’ Contract

December 14th, 2019 at 1:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat shooting guard Dion Waiters is currently serving his third team-imposed suspension this season, but any attempt by the team’s management to terminate his contract would likely prove unsuccessful, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel details.

Waiters’ latest ban was announced on Thursday, a six-game suspension for failure to adhere to team policies, violation of team rules, and continued insubordination. He previously served one-game and 10-game suspensions.

Waiters has lost nearly $83,500 for each game he’s missed but he’ll still receive the bulk of his $12.1MM contract barring any further discipline. He’s also guaranteed $12.7MM in the final year of his four-year contract next season.

The Heat could attempt to terminate Waiters’ contract under a clause in the CBA — Paragraph 16 A1 of the NBA’s Uniform Player Contract, Winderman relays. It states:

“The Team may terminate this Contract upon written notice to the Player if the Player shall: (i) at any time, fail, refuse, or neglect to conform his personal conduct to standards of good citizenship, good moral character (defined here to mean not engaging in acts of moral turpitude, whether or not such acts would constitute a crime), and good sportsmanship, to keep himself in first class physical condition, or to obey the Team’s training rules.”

However, if the Heat’s front office pursues that option, Waiters’ representatives and the Players’ Association would undoubtedly file a grievance against that action. Attempts to terminate player contracts in the past have failed and the Players’ Association has already appealed the monetary penalties of Waiters’ first two suspensions, Winderman notes.

Pursuing the termination option could also impact the franchise negatively in other ways. Future free agents might be less inclined to sign with the team if the Heat plays hardball with Waiters, Winderman adds.

The Heat could waive Waiters and eat the remainder of his contract or attempt a buyout. There’s little incentive for Waiters to pursue the latter, considering his tarnished reputation. He’s eligible to return on December 27, though coach Erik Spoelstra has not used Waiters when he’s been available.

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