Free agent guard Dion Waiters has been in touch with the Knicks, Bulls, and Kings during the first official day of free agency, a person with knowledge of his free agency plans tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Waiters also continues to talk to the Heat and other teams, according to Reynolds.
Waiters, who earned less than $3MM in 2016/17, had a big year for the Heat, averaging 15.8 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 3.3 RPG with a shooting line of .424/.395/.646. Although he was limited to 46 games (43 starts), Waiters will look to pay his performance in Miami into a bigger payday this summer.
A reunion with the Heat remains a real possibility, though Waiters will likely have to be patient if he wants to remain in Miami. The team’s free agency plans are in a holding pattern while Gordon Hayward takes meetings. After Hayward makes a decision, Miami should have a much clearer idea of the odds of retaining Waiters and James Johnson.
As for Waiters’ other potential suitors, the Knicks, Bulls, and Kings have all been linked to backcourt players during the first day of free agency, though New York appears to be prioritizing point guards, Chicago is in rebuild mode, and Sacramento seems to be more focused on wings and power forwards.
Even after a good season, I don’t want to see Waiters in Purple and White. He just isn’t that type to help young players grow. If one of their best young assets wasn’t at the same position, I might say go for it. But that dude isn’t there for a rebuild.
Part of me would be worried about the Knicks, of those teams, as a Heat fan, but I think Miami gives him the 15-17 million per he probably wants, assuming Hayward doesn’t come
Waiters is a perfect fit for the assortment of garbage players on the Bulls Roster.
so the Knicks are trying to trade Lee to overpay a bum like Waiters???…how about they resign Holiday…lose a bunch of games get a top 3 pick and draft well…get out of stupid contracts and focus on building a real team…
A bum like Waiters…? How many times did your team beat the World Champions Golden State Warriors last year with a game winning shot like Waiters did. Not only that but he dominated them also to the tune of 33 pts! The Knicks front office are Bums! No Clowns is more like it. And you know it! Waiters deserves better than the teams outside of the Heat he’s considering because those other teams are Bums and have been so for a long time! If those are the probable destination then I’m confident he will remain with the Heat unless we sign Hayward and Pat can’t convince him to take a bit of a haircut for a short time to bring back Waiters & Johnson who seems to be willing to work with the Heat no matter what because he as a free agent was present at the meeting with Hayward. All these guys should take a hair cut for a couple of years then become eligible for bird rights and then get paid because a team with Whiteside Dragic Waiters Hayward & James Johnson as starters can compete with anyone including Galden State as they found out without Hayward last year!
Waiters gana wait