After a tumultuous last few weeks, Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters will be an option for Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra to use for Sunday night’s home game against the Houston Rockets.
Waiters was suspended by the Heat on Oct. 19 for what was termed “unacceptable behavior” by team president Pat Riley. That followed some controversial actions on the team’s bench during the team’s final preseason contest, coincidentally against the Rockets.
Even after Waiters’ suspension was lifted, he didn’t return for any of the subsequent four games. Before this latest furor, Waiters had already been on the trading block, though there currently appears to be little interest from other teams.
A good portion of Waiters’ time with the Heat has dealt with his recovery from injuries, which began in 2017, during his first season with the team. Since then, his attempt to play with a nagging ankle injury came to an abrupt end in January 2018 with season-ending surgery. That was followed by nearly a full year of recovery before returning to the court.
This most recent absence from the Heat lineup has resulted in Waiters’ status becoming more negligible with the team. That’s due to the sudden emergences of rookie Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn, with both players putting up some impressive early-season numbers.
While the Heat could certainly use the contributions of Waiters to bolster the team’s depth, his status within the organization has taken a major negative hit. Whether or not he’s able to bounce back from this mess remains to be seen.