A: The rules are the rules, even if they can be adjusted along the way, as is the case with the new collective-bargaining agreement. The Heat knew what they were getting into when it came to both Whiteside's contract and the luxury tax. It's like saying you don't like the NBA's illegal-defense rules; they're part of the game, so you adjust and move on. With Waiters, what you have to do is view him not as a returning player (since there is no inherent advantage in free agency) and instead do the same due diligence as you would with any other free agent: What is this player worth to our team? What is he worth based on the other similar available players in free agency? For the Heat, that means first assessing the approach going forward with Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic and perhaps even Wayne Ellington. If Waiters comes to be viewed as your starting shooting guard of the future, then you pay him as such, which is a lot. But then you also have to consider two years of cap hits at $19 million with Tyler Johnson. That's the rub.