After a tumultuous past few days, it would not be surprising to see the Miami Heat eventually trade away Dion Waiters.
According to the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, that could be what the Heat end up doing when it is all said and done.
”And perhaps a trade will be the ultimate end game,” wrote Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “No, not a trade the Heat necessarily will benefit from, but one that could potentially move equivalent salary for another misplaced player.
“After the Heat were able to get off of Hassan Whiteside’s final season, it was an indication that anyone can be dealt. The problem is Dion has two seasons left on his deal, so it would not be as easy to flip him, say, for Bismack Biyombo or Marvin Williams of the scoring-starved Charlotte Hornets, with both of those players only having a single-season remaining of somewhat equivalent salary. The Cleveland Cavaliers also have some salary fits, including Brandon Knight, but, again, with only one year left on that deal.
“And above all, remember that with the Heat under a hard cap this season, it’s not as if they can take on much in the way of (if any) additional salary. But, as always, there is Gorgui Dieng’s salary with the Minnesota Timberwolves that runs two seasons, albeit at slightly more than Dion’s.”
Dealing Waiters can be tricky for the Heat. He still has two years left on his contract, with an average salary of $12.4 million per year. Not only would salary-matching be difficult for the Heat, but other teams may also feel uncomfortable absorbing such an expensive and relatively long contract.
Waiters has also missed an average of 42 games these past three seasons, leading to concerns about his durability. These past few days have highlighted as well how mercurial the guard can be. Teams, especially those who are rebuilding or developing young players, might not want such a presence in the locker room.
The most plausible avenue to a Waiters trade would then be to take back an equally bad, if not worse, contract. But if it means getting rid of what has become an unnecessary distraction, the Heat might be better off pulling such a move.
