8 Players Miami Heat chose to hold on for way too long

Dion Waiters (2016-20)

A once high-touted prospect coming out of college, Dion Waiters found himself at a bit of a crossroads during the summer of 2016. In an attempt to resurrect his career and his reputation around the league, Waiters decided to sign a one-year deal with the Miami Heat. During that first season with the Heat, Waiters impressed by averaging 16 points and four rebounds on 40 percent shooting from 3-point range. He also played an instrumental role in the Heat going 30-11 during the second half of the season.

Miami decided to re-sign Waiters with a four-year, $52 million contract during the 2017 offseason. It would be a contract that Waiters could not live up to. The following season, Waiters only played 30 games due to an ankle injury. The next season, Waiters only appeared in 44 games as his production continued to fall. During the 2019-20 season, Waiters was suspended twice. Once due to “conduct detrimental to the team” and the second time due to seemingly lying about an illness.

Waiters was finally traded by the Heat at the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline. After his stint with the Heat, Waiters has only played in seven total NBA games. In retrospect, it’s easy to see that the Heat probably shouldn’t have gifted Waiters with that second contract.