Hassan Whiteside is excited to have his starting backcourt returning next season after free agent Dion Waiters agreed to re-sign with the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
The star center tweeted out this emoji-filled congratulations soon after the news broke:
Philly 🧀 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/LnxcaNEWNr
— Hassan Whiteside (@youngwhiteside) July 5, 2017
Even the best shooting guard in Heat history congratulated Waiters on his new deal:
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Big Congrats to @dionwaiters3 on the new deal with The Heat. It was only right bro!!! #waitersisland #yallthoughtiwouldhate #thatsthebro
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) July 5, 2017
Waiters turned down a player option worth a little more than $3.2 million to test free agency after he averaged 15.8 points per game, the second-best mark of his career, in his first season with the Heat. Miami rewarded his performance with a considerable four-year, $52 million deal that will ensure “Philly Cheese” will stay in South Beach for the foreseeable future.
The 25-year-old spoke late in the season about his wish to return to Miami, a move that clearly delighted his teammates.
“I am enjoying this thing,” Waiters said. “Whatever it takes [this summer], I just want to be here. What we’re building here, we have a chance to do something special. I want to get it done as quick as possible. Let’s keep this thing rolling by any means. I don’t want to go into free agency with a couple days and make a decision. I don’t want that. I know where I want to be. Let’s just get it done. My mom loves it here. Would be mad at me [if I left]. My son loves it. My family loves it.”
Waiters was limited to 46 games last year because of injury but had a profound impact during the team’s late-season resurgence. He retweeted this message from journalist Fred Katz acknowledging his hard-earned reward for taking a cheap one-year deal last season:
Waiters took a risk, signed a 1+1 last summer for $2.9M and ended up with his big payday. Happy for him. Was always a joy to cover. https://t.co/oDJnghnqVu
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) July 5, 2017
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