Thursday brought about the first Miami Heat practice that shooting guard Dion Waiters participated in since he was issued his third suspension of the season earlier this month.
Upon his return, fellow veteran guard Goran Dragic offered words of advice to his embattled teammate.
“Just leave those things behind. It’s over,” Heat guard Goran Dragic said Thursday. “You can’t change it. The only thing you can do now is focus on yourself and your future. Just come in and be ready each day. Work hard, and only good things are going to happen.”
They are certainly words of wisdom from one veteran to another. Dragic has never dealt with the off-court issues that Waiters has suffered throughout his career. Still, Waiters must surely appreciate the support amidst this trying time in his career.
Going forward, it will be fascinating to see what happens with Waiters in Miami. While the team has expressed a desire to part ways with Waiters, his low value as a trade piece and the money left on his current contract make it hard to envision a simple solution.
Perhaps, the best possible outcome would be for Waiters to prove that he has learned from these suspensions and commit to contributing on the court and staying quiet off of it.
Given the past few months, however, it seems somewhat unlikely that that resolution comes to pass.
