Dion Waiters was tempted to take his talents to the big stage in Madison Square Garden over the course of the offseason, as the New York Knicks darted their interest in the Philly Cheese Swag man during the early days of free agency.
Waiters had signed a one-year deal with the Miami Heat and established himself as a key cog of their equation for the future, but money talks, and a reunion with The Big Apple wasn't too far off the picture after playing his college ball at Syracuse.
“They were talking, they were trying,’’ Waiters told Marc Berman of The New York Post. “My agent was talking to them more than I was.’’
“It was close to home and it’s New York, too. It wouldn’t have been bad. It’s New York, the Garden. I went to Syracuse, man. So it’s like cool.”
Knowing there was interest in the 6-foot-4 shooting guard, the Heat signed Dion Waiters to a four-year, $52 million deal and the Knicks opted to give restricted free agent Tim Hardaway Jr. an inflated four-year, $71 million contract to return to the Garden.
Waiters was reportedly using the Knicks' interest to drive up Miami's price in ongoing negotiations.
“It was high up there,’’ Waiters said of the Knicks’ offer. “But I made my decision. Other teams figured that’s how it was going to be any way.”
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