Daily Sound Off: Dion Waiters Back With The Heat. Money Well Spent? WQAM Hosts React
Dion Waiters is staying in Miami.
On Wednesday afternoon, Waiters and the Miami Heat agreed on a 4-year, $52 million contract.
After a one year audition in Miami, where Waiters earned just $2.9 million in 2016-2017, he and the Heat will now work to make the most of the investment they've made in each other.
But can he stay healthy over the next four seasons? And how far can Waiters take the Heat in a weak Eastern Conference? WQAM's hosts react.
Zach Krantz: "I really like having Dion Waiters back with the Heat. Not re-signing him would have been a disaster for the season. This, at worst, gives the Heat a chance to make the playoffs. If you're not signing the 'whale,' I'm okay with signing the jumbo king crab."
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Orlando Alzugaray: "It's a nice bargain for the Heat to get Dion Waiters at $13 million a year. Scrubs in the NBA are making $10 million these days. This is a very favorable deal, especially if he can come back and play the way he played during that 30-11 stretch. If we can extrapolate his 46 healthy games out to about 75 games, this will be a steal of a contract for the Miami Heat, who had to bounce back after losing out on Gordon Hayward."
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Marc Hochman: "I'm excited to see Dion Waiters back in a Heat jersey. We just have to hope he stays healthy. I'm anxious to see the three-headed monster of Waiters, Dragic and Wade next season…. after Dwyane Wade gets bought out in Chicago and comes back to Miami at the veterans minimum, of course."
Channing Crowder: "I love it. He only played in 46 games last year. If he can play a full season I think he will be truly special. He bet on himself last year and now he gets his money. You've seen what Spoelsta does in developing players. Dion had the best season of his career last year. I've loved Dion from day one. If he was on the same court with Kareem, Magic, Michael Jordan and LeBron James, Dion would say, 'I'm the best player on the court!'"
Someone has to keep Hoch's Dwyane Wade delusions in check. Channing Crowder is that someone. Check out their audio page
Alex Donno: "In just one season, the Heat culture helped transform Dion Waiters into one of the league's most dangerous shooting guards. With all the progress he made, I am thrilled to see the organization commit to him long term. It's great to see the Heat nurturing a core of players who went 30-11 in the second half of last season. If Waiters can stay healthy, the 4-year, $52 million will be money and time well spent."
Donno loves to praise Pat Riley, Heat culture, and everything Miami. Sometimes, he gets a bit carried away ripping the city of Cleveland. Listen for yourself on his audio page
