The Miami Heat are looking for ways to rid themselves of Dion Waiters after the shooting guard was suspended in three different instances in less than three months. Among them is a potential buyout, but Waiters is simply not interested in taking a penny less than he's owed, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Waiters, who was reinstated after a 107-104 win over the Utah Jazz, is still owed $12.1 million (minus the pending wages from the 17 games he has missed due to suspension) and another $12.7 million he’s due to make next season. Unless the Heat are willing to shell out a beefy $24.8 million to make Waiters go away, there is no agreement that can be made at the moment.
While his contract could serve as salary filler in a trade, there is no immediate traction for a team to haul Waiters in, considering his recent history as a locker room disruptor and a front-office headache. He hasn't shown much on the basketball court either, still the happy-launching yet ineffective scorer who fails to do much more in other areas.
The Philadelphia native signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Heat after posting career-best numbers in 2016. Yet the ascending nature of his contract structure would worry teams, as he will only make more next season.
At this point it's tough to fathom Waiters playing another game, barring a fairytale, magical change in his approach and the Heat willingly giving him a chance to right his wrongs. Waiters has already put the front office and coach Erik Spoelstra through a lot, perhaps to the point of no return — leaving this saga inconclusive as he waits in limbo while cashing the checks.
There are some around the league who even believe Waiters' career is over.
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