Dion Waiters, Miami Heat (Unrestricted Free Agent)
Current Salary: $2.8 M
Age: 25
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe are enjoying the views from their beachfront condo on Waiters Island. As they discussed on a recent B.S. Report, all Waiters needed to turn into the player he always knew he could be was to have the ball. In Miami, we’ve seen that good things can happen when you give him great coaching, a good system, and put the rock in his hands (he’s in a virtual tie with Goran Dragic as the team leader in usage rate).
One would think that teams will be lining up this summer to pry away a 25-year-old, former high lottery pick who seems to have finally figured it out at the league’s shallowest position. Not so fast. We’ve already seen what happens when you try to relegate Waiters to a secondary role, and most teams already have an alpha dog. He needs the ball. Add this to that the fact that other teams know how good Miami is at getting the most out of its players.
Outside of such a stable environment, things could get out of control quickly.
The smart money is that Waiters stands by his recent comments and re-ups in Miami, albeit with a substantial raise (think something in between the Bazemore and Fournier deals from last summer).