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Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Summary
Waiters had himself quite a year, getting suspended multiple times by the Heat for various incidents. After being traded to Memphis in the Andre Iguodala/Justise Winslow trade, Waiters was immediately waived by the Grizzlies. Waiters remained on the market for a while before eventually signing with the Lakers.
Waiters had a breakout year in '16-'17, helping the Heat rally back from a 11-30 start to the season to come within a game of making the playoffs. Waiters hit 40% from three that season, on a lot of tough, off-the-dribble attempts, and earned himself a large contract in the summer of 2017. Durability has been a major issue for Waiters, as he hasn't played more than 46 games in a season since '15-'16.
If Waiters isn't hitting threes at a high rate, he isn't doing much else. He has always finished poorly at the rim, and his defense comes and goes. While he's strong enough to defend wings and can move his feet when he's locked in (like in the 2016 Western Conference Finals while playing for the Thunder), he doesn't always give a high level of effort on that end. Waiters was unable to get any meaningful minutes during the playoffs, so he will likely end up settling for a minimum contract this offseason.
Cap Considerations
Waiters will be an unrestricted free agent with a $1.6 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights. This means that the highest starting salary the Lakers could offer him using the Non-Bird Exception is $2.6 million. This could be enough to retain Waiters, since he settled for the minimum to come to Los Angeles. Alternatively, the Lakers could use their Mid-Level Exception or Bi-Annual Exception to re-sign Waiters if he demands more than $2.6 million.
Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Waiters as even teams without cap space could possibly use any of the Non-Taxpayer, Taxpayer, or Room Mid-Level Exceptions to sign him. There's also a scenario where Waiters is only able to find minimum offer this offseason.
Potential Teams: Bulls, Lakers, Kings, Pistons, Rockets
Predicted Contract: 1-year, $2.2 million ($1.6 million cap hit) with the Bulls.
Actual Contract: N/A
As of the start of the regular season, Waiters remains unsigned.
Last updated: 12/31/2020
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