“The Waiters contract is as close to untradeable that I have ever seen in the NBA.” Those are the exact words an NBA executive said to ESPN’s Bobby Marks just one month ago. This is because (up to this point), the 2019-20 Dion Waiters experience has been nothing short of a disaster.

The Suspensions

Although I can’t confirm, I am almost certain that Dion Waiters has set a record for most suspensions prior to the all-star break. The man is averaging (roughly) one suspension every 13 games. Truly astonishing numbers.

The first suspension came at the inception of the season when Waiters was suspended for the Miami Heat’s opening night because he was complaining during a PRESEASON game and then failed to attend a mandatory weigh-in. So, the signs were promising from the beginning. Then, Waiters immediately followed this up with a late submission for suspension of the decade. Essentially, a teammate that Waiters refused to name (respect), gave him some weed edibles on a team flight. This caused Dion to have a panic attack which sent him to the hospital, also accumulating in a ten-game suspension. And finally, Waiters’ most recent suspension came on December 12th, 2019, for reasons described as “continued insubordination.” In total, Dion Waiters has been suspended for 17 games this season, resulting in him losing over $1 million out of his contract.

Photo by: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The Comeback

Waiters returned to the court on January 24th for the Heat’s nationally televised battle vs. the Los Angeles Clippers. And as @WorldWideWob put it on twitter, “Feel like I’m watching a mafia member rejoin his crew after 10 years in prison.” Because honestly, watching the game, you would’ve thought Waiters had been on the team the entire year. Everything was back to normal and he was chucking up shots like he’s prime Kobe. Waiters finished the night with 14 points on 5-12 shooting in 18 minutes. That’s solid production off the bench. However, in Waiters’ second game back, he played just six minutes and scored three points off the bench. So, it seems that (at least for now), his minutes will be extremely inconsistent.

So can Dion Waiters be traded?

Regardless, from the limited time we’ve seen him, it seems that Dion Waiters is still a valuable scorer for struggling benches. Obviously you would still have to deal with all the off-court issues and possible locker room discrepancies. But, there are a few playoff teams that lack bench production. And it’s not far fetched to think one of those teams making an 11th-hour trade, hoping to improve their depth.

Possible trade partners include the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, and Philadelphia 76ers. All of these teams are either going to make the playoffs or are trying to make the playoffs. And, all of them are in the bottom five of the league in bench points per game. Now, logistically speaking, it would be easier for some of these teams to trade for Waiters than others. But, somewhere out there, there is a desperate GM on the hot seat, looking for some sort of hail mary play that has even the slightest chance of improving his team and saving his job. That hail mary is Dion Waiters.

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