Miami Heat shooting guard Dion Waiters has yet to play a single minute of meaningful basketball this season.
That’s because he’s now serving his third suspension handed down to him from the team that pays him. As it turns out, the Heat have had to pay Waiters a lot less money than expected so far this season as a result of his lengthy suspensions.
Following the news that Waiters had been suspended yet again on Thursday night, ESPN’s Bobby Marks broke down how the suspensions have impacted Waiters’ bank account.
Suspension amounts for Dion Waiters this season:
6 games: $500,690
10 games: $834,483
1 game: $83,448
Total= $1,418,621
This doesn't include the $1.2M games played bonus that he missed.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 13, 2019
No question, it’s a lot of money. However, it clearly has not been enough motivation to convince Waiters to keep out of trouble.
Thus far, a specific reason for his latest suspension has not yet been revealed. Instead, the team simply stated that it was due to a failure to adhere to team policies, violation of team rules and continued insubordination.
Waiters is certainly at the end of his rope in Miami, but that doesn’t make his future any more clear. His trade value is arguably lower than it has ever been in his career.
Beyond that, it seems unlikely that Miami will buy out Waiters, which would him a free agent.
With no clear solution in sight, this situation will likely continue to hang over the entire organization.
Luckily, it hasn’t seemed to impact the rest of the team much. The Heat currently sit at No. 2 in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18-6.
