Miami Heat: Expect James Johnson, Dion Waiters To Be Re-Signed

Expect the Miami Heat to re-sign James Johnson and Dion Waiters this summer

The Miami Heat fell one game short of making the NBA Playoffs for the second-straight season. However, if Dion Waiters has his way this summer, that won’t be the case next season.

Waiters battled injuries for much of the first half of this season, which – at least partly – resulted in the Heat beginning the NBA season in a 11-30 hole.

Once he, and the rest of the team, got healthy, Miami looked liked an entirely different squad. In fact, they were exactly the inverse of 11-30 during the second part of the season (30-11). Problem is, the Heat needed to go 31-10 over the last 41 games in order to recover from their putrid start to make the playoffs – as insane as that sounds.

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Though, Waiters hopes Miami is in entirely different situation – and, most importantly, still playing right now – next season.

However, before that, he’s going to have to figure out this free agency thing – again.

Last summer, Waiters signed a two-year, $6 million deal (player-option after year one) with the Heat. He bet on himself this past season, and after a 16-point, four rebound and three assist per game campaign, he’s likely ready to cash-in.

Question is, will the Miami Heat pay him? Waiters hopes so, as he noted in his exit interview, but even though he wants to be in Miami next season he knows nothing is certain when it comes to free agency.

"[via Miami Heat]Dion on being asked if he wants to return: “Yeah, of course… It’s April now. When July comes around we’ll sit down and take care of it.”"

The same could be said for James Johnson, the Heat’s newest redemption project. After bouncing around the league for the first seven years of his career, Johnson found a nice home in Miami where he averaged career-highs in points (12.8), assists (3.6), rebounds (4.9) and three-point percentage (34%).

James Johnson on Heat organization: “I’m home. That’s how I feel. … I feel really passionate about this place.”
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) April 17, 2017

If the Heat wanted, assuming that Chris Bosh’s contract number ($25M) gets knocked off the books this summer, they should have enough to re-sign both Dion Waiters and James Johnson. However, assuming that their strong play this season will equate to huge raises from the penny contracts that they signed this past summer, if the Heat elects to bring back both of them there likely won’t be much cap room, if any whatsoever, for any other outside free agents.

For the whale hunting Pat Riley, such a move would run counter philosophy. And that’s where this predicament begins for the Heat.

If Riley and the Heat want to continue the search for their next whale in free agency, re-signing both James Johnson and Dion Waiters wouldn’t exactly be the best move.

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However, considering that the biggest of free agents this summer won’t even consider the Heat – Gordon Hayward is unlikely to leave Utah and, even if he does, Boston would be considered the favorites to land him, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul likely take the big paydays to stay in LA and there’s no way Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry will leave Golden State – maybe re-signing Waiters and Johnson is the only – and best – move to make this summer.