As talented as Dion Waiters is, the Miami Heat may have to move on from the mercurial guard someday soon.
A Cleveland Cavaliers executive’s insight into the problems that plagued Waiters during his stay with their franchise sounds much like what Waiters could end up doing on the Heat. According to a report from Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, Waiters pretty much sabotaged their play on the court.
“After LeBron James returned, the Cavs finally moved on from Waiters and the offense roared to life with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert supplementing an All-Star trio,” Lloyd wrote.
“‘If J.R. fucks up, it’ll be off the court,’ one team executive told me in the days after the trade. ‘Dion was fucking us up on the court.’
“As the Cavs start to put together pieces of this rebuild, it’s an important lesson to remember. When they became contenders, Waiters never embraced the role the organization envisioned for him as a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist. He dominated the ball too much despite the better options around him, so he had to go.”
There was never any question about Waiters’ skills and ability to play at the professional level. Many of the issues that he has had throughout his career have been mainly about his behavior.
Though the Cavs were having problems with Waiters on the court, the Heat are having problems with him both on and off the court. A series of setbacks have likely left the organization’s relationship with Waiters in tatters.
Prior to the start of the regular season, Waiters was suspended for “unprofessional conduct,” which included a behavioral issue during a preseason game. He also dissed head coach Erik Spoelstra on social media, overdosed on gummies, suffered a seizure, and is currently serving a 10-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
