Kings Dodge Bullet: Dion Waiters Agrees To One-Year, $2.9M Deal With Heat

[Semi]

Score 1 for Vlade and the Kings!

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/242945/Dion-Waiters-Agrees-To-One-Year-$29M-Deal-With-Heat

 

[dude12]

A little short of the 18M per he was seeking.

 

[One and Done]

Phew. I wouldn't even take him for that amount of $$$.

 

[Bricklayer]

A little short of the 18M per he was seeking.

That was the most obvious agent planted story of the summer. Just ridiculous.

 

[Mike]

If someone said to me you can have Temple at $8 million a year, or Waiters at just under $3 million a year, I would take the latter. Granted his two year deal features a player option in the second, so it's essentially another of those one year prove it deals, but at that price he's a bargain and offers more upside than Temple.

A case can even be made over Afflalo since he's no longer the defensive player he used to be years ago, he's still living off that reputation. Last season players Afflalo was defending shot better than their season percentage, he was a liability at time for the Knicks. So maybe Joerger gets him back playing to a high level of defense, but if he doesn't and he continues to be below average, that $12.5 million salary over a player earning a tad under $3 million is going to look like we've over paid Afflalo.

For me, if someone said you can have Waiters on a one year prove it deal at $3 million, or Afflalo and Temple at $20.5 million tied up for at least the next two years, I'd take Waiters. Even if Temple spends most of his minutes at PG, I'd take Waiters and bring in a backup PG, and we'd have change left!

That said, I think part of this deal with Miami is that Waiters sees a great opportunity to joining a winning franchise, with a good coaching setup, and a void at SG left by Dwyane Wade. If Waiters can utilise his potential and breakout (or at least perform to a good level), he can land a decent pay day next season with the Heat or someone else.

 

[White_Chocolate]

If someone said to me you can have Temple at $8 million a year, or Waiters at just under $3 million a year, I would take the latter. Granted his two year deal features a player option in the second, so it's essentially another of those one year prove it deals, but at that price he's a bargain and offers more upside than Temple.

A case can even be made over Afflalo since he's no longer the defensive player he used to be years ago, he's still living off that reputation. Last season players Afflalo was defending shot better than their season percentage, he was a liability at time for the Knicks. So maybe Joerger gets him back playing to a high level of defense, but if he doesn't and he continues to be below average, that $12.5 million salary over a player earning a tad under $3 million is going to look like we've over paid Afflalo.

For me, if someone said you can have Waiters on a one year prove it deal at $3 million, or Afflalo and Temple at $20.5 million tied up for at least the next two years, I'd take Waiters. Even if Temple spends most of his minutes at PG, I'd take Waiters and bring in a backup PG, and we'd have change left!

That said, I think part of this deal with Miami is that Waiters sees a great opportunity to joining a winning franchise, with a good coaching setup, and a void at SG left by Dwyane Wade. If Waiters can utilise his potential and breakout (or at least perform to a good level), he can land a decent pay day next season with the Heat or someone else.

I know he wanted a lot more money initially and would not have signed on with us for 2.9 million, but I wouldn't have minded dropping ~5 mil for a year of Waiters to see if he might blossom into something. If he was serious about ~15 million annually though I get why we passed. That's stupid money for a player of his talent.

 

[Mike]

I know he wanted a lot more money initially and would not have signed on with us for 2.9 million, but I wouldn't have minded dropping ~5 mil for a year of Waiters to see if he might blossom into something. If he was serious about ~15 million annually though I get why we passed. That's stupid money for a player of his talent.

True, he is worth the risk because of his upside and on the basis he might breakout. End of the day we need to take some risks if we want to get to that next level. We are already taking a $12.5 million risk on Afflalo regaining his defensive ability and being able to contribute, and we are taking an $8 million risk on whatever we hope to get from Temple. Both players are thirty with little upside. So I wouldn't have been against betting on a young player like Waiters at Temple's price point, Afflalo's price point might have been a bit harder to stomach, but he's got upside that's worth betting on.

Miami have got themselves a bargain, though a bit of a logjam at SG with Waiters, Tyler Johnson, Jason Richardson, Wayne Ellington and perhaps even Justise Winslow who are all SGs. Winslow will likely slot in at SF, but finding minutes for the rest will be tough for them.

 

[dude12]

If someone said to me you can have Temple at $8 million a year, or Waiters at just under $3 million a year, I would take the latter. Granted his two year deal features a player option in the second, so it's essentially another of those one year prove it deals, but at that price he's a bargain and offers more upside than Temple.

A case can even be made over Afflalo since he's no longer the defensive player he used to be years ago, he's still living off that reputation. Last season players Afflalo was defending shot better than their season percentage, he was a liability at time for the Knicks. So maybe Joerger gets him back playing to a high level of defense, but if he doesn't and he continues to be below average, that $12.5 million salary over a player earning a tad under $3 million is going to look like we've over paid Afflalo.

For me, if someone said you can have Waiters on a one year prove it deal at $3 million, or Afflalo and Temple at $20.5 million tied up for at least the next two years, I'd take Waiters. Even if Temple spends most of his minutes at PG, I'd take Waiters and bring in a backup PG, and we'd have change left!

That said, I think part of this deal with Miami is that Waiters sees a great opportunity to joining a winning franchise, with a good coaching setup, and a void at SG left by Dwyane Wade. If Waiters can utilise his potential and breakout (or at least perform to a good level), he can land a decent pay day next season with the Heat or someone else.

Yeah but Afflalo and Temple in comparing their salaries to other signings early in the process were and are good amounts. Afflalo wasn't going to last long. This is as much a knock on Waiters as anything.

If Afflalo comes here and plays at a solid level while playing solid defense, then next year if we keep him his contract is going to be seen as a bargain....heck, when Bogdanovich comes over and if he's the real deal, maybe Afflalo turns out to be a trade chip.

I just think Waiters and his agent may have overvalued him in the market

 

[Mike]

Yeah but Afflalo and Temple in comparing their salaries to other signings early in the process were and are good amounts. Afflalo wasn't going to last long. This is as much a knock on Waiters as anything.

If Afflalo comes here and plays at a solid level while playing solid defense, then next year if we keep him his contract is going to be seen as a bargain....heck, when Bogdanovich comes over and if he's the real deal, maybe Afflalo turns out to be a trade chip.

I just think Waiters and his agent may have overvalued him in the market

Problem is, Afflalo hasn't played at that level in a few seasons. His plus-minus was worse than James Harden's these past two seasons. Since being traded from Denver to Orlando, he's regressed defensively. To ask him to go from being a below average defensive player to his prime defensive ability from his first spell in Denver is a big ask. Is it possible? Perhaps, but it's going to be difficult and perhaps unlikely.

What about offense? He should be ok, but last season with the Knicks he was inconsistent. He should be a steady option offensively, but he's no better than a third or fourth option these days, and that's on a good night which the Knicks didn't see too often.

Don't get me wrong, he's a fair signing and I see why we went out there and got him. But in some ways we've signed a regressing player who could be a liability on both ends unless he ups the level he plays at.

 

[dude12]

Problem is, Afflalo hasn't played at that level in a few seasons. His plus-minus was worse than James Harden's these past two seasons. Since being traded from Denver to Orlando, he's regressed defensively. To ask him to go from being a below average defensive player to his prime defensive ability from his first spell in Denver is a big ask. Is it possible? Perhaps, but it's going to be difficult and perhaps unlikely.

What about offense? He should be ok, but last season with the Knicks he was inconsistent. He should be a steady option offensively, but he's no better than a third or fourth option these days, and that's on a good night which the Knicks didn't see too often.

Don't get me wrong, he's a fair signing and I see why we went out there and got him. But in some ways we've signed a regressing player who could be a liability on both ends unless he ups the level he plays at.

I look at Afflalo as a bridge to when Bogdanovich is here and for when Richardson is more seasoned. He shot 44% and 38% from 3. If he matches those numbers or gets an uptick, it would be a tremendous upgrade over what we have gotten from our SG's the last few years.

The plan, based on the trade getting Richardson and Bogdanovich and the length of the Afflalo contract, is that he's a short term guy. The comments I've heard on Bogdanovich from some of the national guys is that he would be in play for one of the top 3 picks next year if he was a rookie eligible for the draft. That looks like the plan.

 

[KingsFan80]

Problem is, Afflalo hasn't played at that level in a few seasons. His plus-minus was worse than James Harden's these past two seasons. Since being traded from Denver to Orlando, he's regressed defensively. To ask him to go from being a below average defensive player to his prime defensive ability from his first spell in Denver is a big ask. Is it possible? Perhaps, but it's going to be difficult and perhaps unlikely.

What about offense? He should be ok, but last season with the Knicks he was inconsistent. He should be a steady option offensively, but he's no better than a third or fourth option these days, and that's on a good night which the Knicks didn't see too often.

Don't get me wrong, he's a fair signing and I see why we went out there and got him. But in some ways we've signed a regressing player who could be a liability on both ends unless he ups the level he plays at.

I agree, everyone on here is blinded by their love for Vlade. Ugh. Temple is below average and probably would still be a free agent if we had not signed him. Waiters would have been a huge pick up at this salary.

 

[KingsFan80]

I look at Afflalo as a bridge to when Bogdanovich is here and for when Richardson is more seasoned. He shot 44% and 38% from 3. If he matches those numbers or gets an uptick, it would be a tremendous upgrade over what we have gotten from our SG's the last few years.

The plan, based on the trade getting Richardson and Bogdanovich and the length of the Afflalo contract, is that he's a short term guy. The comments I've heard on Bogdanovich from some of the national guys is that he would be in play for one of the top 3 picks next year if he was a rookie eligible for the draft. That looks like the plan.

So is Boganovich really coming? Where has he said he is? He is still overseas and might never come. I am not sure how a GM can have a long-term plan that includes a guy that might never play

 

[ParniValjak]

So is Boganovich really coming? Where has he said he is? He is still overseas and might never come. I am not sure how a GM can have a long-term plan that includes a guy that might never play

Mind boggles at the shallowness of this post.

Join the dots

Vlade played for Partizan and was a president of Partizan at one point, still considered a legend who all these years has been close to the club.
Bogdan played for Partizan
Vlade was coached by Obradovic
Bogdan is coached by Obradovic
Bogdan is on the Serbian Olympic Basketball Team
Vlade is still a president of the Serbian Olympic Committee
Vlade is managed by the same agent as Bogdan
Vlade knows Bogdan personally and would have known very well what his intentions are before pulling the trigger on the trade.
Bogdan has ALWAYS said that his dream is to play in the NBA and Divac just happens to be one of his idols.

You obviously know very little about the people involved and the situation to pass even an educated guess. You once saw Magic draft a Spanish player with pick 11 who never had a strong desire to play in the NBA so he never came over and all of a sudden its what every player will do.

If you knew ANYTHING about the player in question or those around him, you would realize just how laughable your comment is. If ANY GM in the NBA could know Bogdanovic's intentions regarding his NBA career it would be Divac. To think otherwise is just ignorant. you can laugh this off as much as you like but if Divac did not have a clue about anything else, I am 100% certain he would be pretty spot on about Bogdan's intentions once his contract with Fenerbahce expires.

 

[Bricklayer]

If someone said to me you can have Temple at $8 million a year, or Waiters at just under $3 million a year, I would take the latter. Granted his two year deal features a player option in the second, so it's essentially another of those one year prove it deals, but at that price he's a bargain and offers more upside than Temple.

A case can even be made over Afflalo since he's no longer the defensive player he used to be years ago, he's still living off that reputation. Last season players Afflalo was defending shot better than their season percentage, he was a liability at time for the Knicks. So maybe Joerger gets him back playing to a high level of defense, but if he doesn't and he continues to be below average, that $12.5 million salary over a player earning a tad under $3 million is going to look like we've over paid Afflalo.

For me, if someone said you can have Waiters on a one year prove it deal at $3 million, or Afflalo and Temple at $20.5 million tied up for at least the next two years, I'd take Waiters. Even if Temple spends most of his minutes at PG, I'd take Waiters and bring in a backup PG, and we'd have change left!

That said, I think part of this deal with Miami is that Waiters sees a great opportunity to joining a winning franchise, with a good coaching setup, and a void at SG left by Dwyane Wade. If Waiters can utilise his potential and breakout (or at least perform to a good level), he can land a decent pay day next season with the Heat or someone else.

I know he wanted a lot more money initially and would not have signed on with us for 2.9 million, but I wouldn't have minded dropping ~5 mil for a year of Waiters to see if he might blossom into something. If he was serious about ~15 million annually though I get why we passed. That's stupid money for a player of his talent.

You guys are still missing the obvious goal/focus of our offseason.

No agendas. No confusion. Everybody knows their roles. Everybody's a pro and does their job. Everybody buys in to form a seamless defensive unit. No raw talent flyers. No guys trying to prove anything at the expense of the team. Tehy are saying Cousins is the talent, and then they are betting synergy on the rest of the team can trump talent.

 

[Jimbob]

Judging by his contract I too think Afflalo is a bridge for Bogdan and Richardson. He can mentor Richardson this year whereas Waiters lacks that ability.
Richardson wasn't on my draft wish list at all, but I'm beginning to think he will surprise, no questioning his position and tools to play that position effectively.
Bogdan from the videos I have watched looks seasoned. He can handle the ball and pass well for a SG. Deadly shooter.
I'm still waiting for that PG to surface via a Gay, KK, or Ben trade but except for maybe Boston, Phoenix, and Minnesota I don't see any other teams with a surplus of promising PG's.

 

[peacelate]

We already have Waiters. His name is Ben McLemore.

 

[KingMilz]

We already have Waiters. His name is Ben McLemore.

Nah that's disrespectful to Waiters who I can't stand due to his stupidity but he at least has some self confidence (and can actually dribble a ball) and actually is not afraid to try things (which leads to disaster quiet a bit), Waiters on a 2.9mil deal is a pretty sweet signing for Miami.

 

[ESP47]

At least McLemore's shots go in the basket at above a 3rd grade level.

 

[peacelate]

Nah that's disrespectful to Waiters who I can't stand due to his stupidity but he at least has some self confidence (and can actually dribble a ball) and actually is not afraid to try things (which leads to disaster quiet a bit), Waiters on a 2.9mil deal is a pretty sweet signing for Miami.

$2.9 is a steep price for a player who's only attribute is confidence.

 

[ParniValjak]

$2.9 is a steep price for a player who's only attribute is confidence.

I think people are taking this a bit too far. Waiters has the skills to be a very good NBA player. His issues have been his over-inflated value of himself and his questionable basketball IQ.

If Miami can get the sort of play out of Waiters that OKC got in that series against Golden State, they would be on a very good thing.

 

[206Fan]

$2.9 is a steep price for a player who's only attribute is confidence.

This is funny because I remember most people here were Anti-Reggie Jackson...

 

[Bricklayer]

This is funny because I remember most people here were Anti-Reggie Jackson...

Still am. He's a little crap.

 

[ESP47]

I think people are taking this a bit too far. Waiters has the skills to be a very good NBA player. His issues have been his over-inflated value of himself and his questionable basketball IQ.

If Miami can get the sort of play out of Waiters that OKC got in that series against Golden State, they would be on a very good thing.

I agreed with your point about him in the playoffs against GS but then I went and looked at his stats to verify. His stats in that series.

31min, 36% from the field, 32% from 3, 38% from the FT line, 3 reb, 3 ast, 7 points per game.

Waiters is so bad that even noticing that he's in the game makes you think he ended up playing well. I thought he was turning the corner while watching that series too but the stats say something completely different. I wouldn't even take him if he played for McDonalds minimum wage.

 

[KingsFan80]

Mind boggles at the shallowness of this post.

Join the dots

Vlade played for Partizan and was a president of Partizan at one point, still considered a legend who all these years has been close to the club.
Bogdan played for Partizan
Vlade was coached by Obradovic
Bogdan is coached by Obradovic
Bogdan is on the Serbian Olympic Basketball Team
Vlade is still a president of the Serbian Olympic Committee
Vlade is managed by the same agent as Bogdan
Vlade knows Bogdan personally and would have known very well what his intentions are before pulling the trigger on the trade.
Bogdan has ALWAYS said that his dream is to play in the NBA and Divac just happens to be one of his idols.

You obviously know very little about the people involved and the situation to pass even an educated guess. You once saw Magic draft a Spanish player with pick 11 who never had a strong desire to play in the NBA so he never came over and all of a sudden its what every player will do.

If you knew ANYTHING about the player in question or those around him, you would realize just how laughable your comment is. If ANY GM in the NBA could know Bogdanovic's intentions regarding his NBA career it would be Divac. To think otherwise is just ignorant. you can laugh this off as much as you like but if Divac did not have a clue about anything else, I am 100% certain he would be pretty spot on about Bogdan's intentions once his contract with Fenerbahce expires.

First of all, just like you I have an opinion on this Board as well. I am a Kings Fan just like you, and just because I am Kings Fan doesn't mean I have to be a cheerleader. i have the option to disagree if i dont like something. Second, I don't care about who is friends with who and who spent time at someone's house at Christmas five years ago, I look at actual moves and what is going on. The guy is still overseas with no reports he is coming here. If he comes here next year fantastic we can all cheer, but it isn't like he is already here and thinking about leaving so we are talking him out of it, he isn't here and never has been an NBA player. To me that is a tad bit much of a gamble to make when you are trading down from 8 to 13 in an NBA draft where you need impact players because you can't get them in free agency.

I appreciate your optimism and maybe I am too negative at times, but I am not a Vlade fan. I am a Kings Fan and if I think someone is making crap moves I can voice my opinion on it.

 

[ParniValjak]

First of all, just like you I have an opinion on this Board as well. I am a Kings Fan just like you, and just because I am Kings Fan doesn't mean I have to be a cheerleader. i have the option to disagree if i dont like something. Second, I don't care about who is friends with who and who spent time at someone's house at Christmas five years ago, I look at actual moves and what is going on. The guy is still overseas with no reports he is coming here. If he comes here next year fantastic we can all cheer, but it isn't like he is already here and thinking about leaving so we are talking him out of it, he isn't here and never has been an NBA player. To me that is a tad bit much of a gamble to make when you are trading down from 8 to 13 in an NBA draft where you need impact players because you can't get them in free agency.

I appreciate your optimism and maybe I am too negative at times, but I am not a Vlade fan. I am a Kings Fan and if I think someone is making crap moves I can voice my opinion on it.

I have been a Kings fan well before Vlade came to play for the Kings, let alone hold a front office position. There are plenty of things that I can point at Vlade and call out his failures but adding Bogdan as a throw in into a deal that got us pick 13 and 28 for pick 8 in one of the more questionable drafts in recent times is not one of them.

Anyone that questions the draft day trade needs a reality check. In what universe is pick 8 for picks13, 28 and draft rights to a 23 year old European star who would have no doubt gone top 10 in this draft a bad deal.

You can question whether the player picked with 13 and 28 make sense but to question the actual deal itself is just downright trolling. Picking Papagiannis with pick 13 doesn't look great but Skal Labissiere has been every bit as impressive if not more than Chriss has been with Phoenix and Bogdan has every intention of playing in the NBA. He is a competitive kid who is smart enough to realize that coming over for the upcoming season would be the dumbest move of his career and possibly his life. Why throw away millions of dollars just to come over a year earlier?

I am 100% certain that if we keep his rights (and I have no reason to believe we won't) that he will come over after his contract with Fenerbahce expires in less than a year. Vlade has made his fair share of mistakes since he took over as the decision maker of the Kings but this is NOT one of them. He did not go blind into this without knowing what Bogdan's intentions were. He knows more about the kid and has a relationship with him that any other NBA executive or player out there. It doesn't mean that Bogdan will be a star but it means he IS coming over. That much is a given.

 

[Glenn]

First of all, just like you I have an opinion on this Board as well. I am a Kings Fan just like you, and just because I am Kings Fan doesn't mean I have to be a cheerleader. i have the option to disagree if i dont like something. Second, I don't care about who is friends with who and who spent time at someone's house at Christmas five years ago, I look at actual moves and what is going on. The guy is still overseas with no reports he is coming here. If he comes here next year fantastic we can all cheer, but it isn't like he is already here and thinking about leaving so we are talking him out of it, he isn't here and never has been an NBA player. To me that is a tad bit much of a gamble to make when you are trading down from 8 to 13 in an NBA draft where you need impact players because you can't get them in free agency.

I appreciate your optimism and maybe I am too negative at times, but I am not a Vlade fan. I am a Kings Fan and if I think someone is making crap moves I can voice my opinion on it.

You are entitled to express any opinion you have as long as it doesn't get personal. If your opinions tend to be far more negative and confrontational than positive, be ready to be treated with a minimum of respect except from like minded friends as it may appear that you have an agenda that is anti-King. I am not keeping score and don't know with any certainty what your typical attitude is.

 

[Jimbob]

Of all our FA signings Tolliver confuses me most. Perhaps I dont know his game well enough. I understand he is a bit of a stretch 4 that does have pretty good denfensive savy but with Skal, Casspi and Rudy still on board it seems unecessary. His contract was considerably less than Ryan Andersens which I consider the real bullet dodged.

 

[Bricklayer]

Of all our FA signings Tolliver confuses me most. Perhaps I dont know his game well enough. I understand he is a bit of a stretch 4 that does have pretty good denfensive savy but with Skal, Casspi and Rudy still on board it seems unecessary. His contract was considerably less than Ryan Andersens which I consider the real bullet dodged.

Skal surprised -- at the time we signed Tolliver it was clear we had no expectations Skal would be ready this year.

Rudy is probably not going to be here.

And Tolliver isn't a "bit of" a stretch 4. he's kind of the ultimate stretch 4. He took more than 75% of his shots from 3pt land last year. When your best player is a big post player, and you intend to play him in the post, that's a valuable guy, especially since unlike many stretch 4s he can hold his own at the other end of the floor.

 

[PBNJ85]

Mind boggles at the shallowness of this post.

Join the dots

Vlade played for Partizan and was a president of Partizan at one point, still considered a legend who all these years has been close to the club.
Bogdan played for Partizan
Vlade was coached by Obradovic
Bogdan is coached by Obradovic
Bogdan is on the Serbian Olympic Basketball Team
Vlade is still a president of the Serbian Olympic Committee
Vlade is managed by the same agent as Bogdan
Vlade knows Bogdan personally and would have known very well what his intentions are before pulling the trigger on the trade.
Bogdan has ALWAYS said that his dream is to play in the NBA and Divac just happens to be one of his idols.

You obviously know very little about the people involved and the situation to pass even an educated guess. You once saw Magic draft a Spanish player with pick 11 who never had a strong desire to play in the NBA so he never came over and all of a sudden its what every player will do.

If you knew ANYTHING about the player in question or those around him, you would realize just how laughable your comment is. If ANY GM in the NBA could know Bogdanovic's intentions regarding his NBA career it would be Divac. To think otherwise is just ignorant. you can laugh this off as much as you like but if Divac did not have a clue about anything else, I am 100% certain he would be pretty spot on about Bogdan's intentions once his contract with Fenerbahce expires.

And if wishes were horses then beggars would ride.

 

[KingsFan80]

You are entitled to express any opinion you have as long as it doesn't get personal. If your opinions tend to be far more negative and confrontational than positive, be ready to be treated with a minimum of respect except from like minded friends as it may appear that you have an agenda that is anti-King. I am not keeping score and don't know with any certainty what your typical attitude is.

I never get personal with anyone on here, I don't know anyone besides screen names. I respect everyone's opinion as well because they are entitled to one. I am just here because I am a Kings Fan and like discussing with the team with fellow fans. Unfortunately most of the people I know in the Valley are Warriors Fans so it is difficult to talk with them. If you want my view point here it is---I look at this team as pre-Maloof and post-Vivek. Pre-Maloof we had a ton of issues (in the later years) but post-Vivek we continue to have issues. At one point I thought PDA, Vivek and Malone had this ship going in the right direction (Rudy Gay trade) and it was looking up. I think Vivek and PDA listened to "advisers" way too much when letting Malone go. I gave up on that group after they drafted Stauskas over Elfrid Payton.

I was not happy with the Vlade hire as he is not qualified to be an NBA GM. He has no knowledge of how the league works and it has been been reported many times by national media outlets (He doesn't understand the salary cap etc.). Vivek loves him and brought in Ken Cantella (Sp) to sort of make up for Vlade's lack of experience. Everyone gives him a pass because he is a former star in Sacramento, and that is fine, but it doesn't make him a GM. I don't agree with 90% of his moves so far this off-season, which I do understand the challenge we have with free agency.

I have heard from many folks in and around minority owners-- they are not impressed by Vlade at all. Many people are still puzzled by the #13 pick. Nobody understands what he is doing even Cousins and Rudy Gay. My opinion, their frustration isn't the lack of being told every move before it happens, but more so not understanding any move that is made and/or how it makes the team better. That is my view point and opinion.