Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters has had an up-and-down season this year, having been suspended multiple times while also providing the Heat with an offensive spark off the bench in limited minutes.
Earlier this season, it had been reported that the Heat seemed determined to move on from Waiters, and it seems as if that is still the case.
Marc Stein of the New York Times reported Tuesday that it is “widely assumed” that Miami is looking for a new team for the 28-year-old.
“It is also widely assumed that the Heat are working — challenging as it is — to find a new home for the disgruntled Dion Waiters and maybe James Johnson (whom Miami may use to try to acquire Iguodala),” wrote Stein.
“The most common belief about the Heat around the league is that any deadline moves will not infringe on their projected salary-cap space for the summer of 2021, when Miami hopes to have a chance to try to woo Giannis Antetokounmpo away from Milwaukee in free agency.”
It is possible that Waiters’ recent showings against two contenders, the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, where he scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, might have convinced teams that he can still contribute.
It will be interesting to see if Miami is able to trade Waiters before Thursday’s trade deadline. If Miami is unable to trade him then, they could always try again during the offseason.
After this year, the Syracuse University product has one year left on his four-year, $52 million deal that he signed back in 2016. Waiters is due to make $12.65 million next season.
So far this season, Waiters has appeared in a total of three games, averaging 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds on 47.1 percent shooting from three in 14.0 minutes per game.
