Should the Miami Heat have re-signed Dion Waiters?
Lately, Miami Heat fans have been very vocal with their opinions about the front office.
Between urging president Pat Riley to move Hassan Whiteside, constantly calling Tyler Johnson‘s contract a fail and criticizing the decision to re-sign James Johnson, Heat Nation has a lot to say about the majority of the current roster.
However one name that hasn’t come up much is Dion Waiters.
Waiters was initially signed to a one year deal for the 2016-17 season, after Miami failed to both hang onto Dwyane Wade and catch a whale in Kevin Durant. And the risk seemed to have paid off.
At least at first.
The shooting guard averaged a career-high 15.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game in 30.1 minutes of play, even being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week in January 2017. During that stretch, he scored 33 points back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors, totaling 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field versus the Brooklyn Nets, the very next matchup.
Waiters added a level of much-needed offense, alongside bringing an unparalleled sense of confidence to a freshly assembled group.
Really, who else could hit a buzzer-beater against the Warriors with such ease?
Unfortunately though, No. 11 only played 46 games on the year, after first suffering a pectineus tear in November, and then being sidelined for the final 13 contests of the season with an ankle injury; especially poor timing considering how close the Heat were to clinching a playoff spot.
Still, injuries happen to everyone and when he was able to contribute, Waiters was certainly an asset.
He bought into Miami’s culture from the jump (even boasting about the team’s workout plan), had a hot shooting hand almost night-in and night-out, and perhaps most importantly, kept the team morale high.
In fact, many attribute the Heat’s famous 30-11 run to Waiters, whose competitive drive helped keep the squad afloat.
So it seems like a no-brainer that Riley would re-sign him the next summer.
Now some may argue that despite all of the above, a four-year, $52 million deal was still pushing the envelope. Waiters may have had a solid first run with Miami, but he didn’t necessarily come with the greatest reputation. Not to mention management had other guys to keep in mind, like fellow newcomer James Johnson.
But money aside, there’s another questionable aspect to having re-signed Waiters: his ankle injury.
Back in March, Waiters was encouraged to have surgery on his ankle, in order to avoid further complications moving forward. But he declined, instead set on relying on rehab for recovery. An option perhaps many would have opted for, but unfortunately didn’t end up panning out.
"“I’m not a big fan of surgery so I try to avoid surgery. I didn’t want to be out 8 to 10 months. I asked for another solution, what’s another way we can go about it? We went that route.”"
After admitting to still feeling discomfort in it during the team’s media day back in September and subsequently seeing time in 30 games, in the end, the 26-year-old had to go under the knife.
And now, it’s unclear whether or not he’ll even be ready by the start of training camp.
"“Well it was six to nine months. That’s what the doctor said,” Riley said. “We hope that he’s ready for training camp. But we’re not going to push that.”"
Waiters did continue to show promise at the start of 2017-18 play though.
Over 30 games, he averaged 14.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 30.6 minutes, his best game happening on October 30 against the Minnesota Timberwolves; Waiters scored 33 points on 14-of-28 shooting (including going 4-for-5 from downtown), while also recording five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
However his absence thereafter is still a hard pill to swallow, considering his new contract.
Here’s to a better year three for Waiters.
Next: Miami Heat: Let's get back to showing Hassan Whiteside some love
Hindsight is obviously 20/20 but the Miami Heat may now regret prioritizing Waiters last summer.