NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason targets for the New York Knicks
4. Dion Waiters, Miami Heat
Waiters will be looking for a long-term deal this summer after impressing in Miami this season. By 2019-20, the year Anthony’s deal comes off the books, New York will only have Noah and Courtney Lee’s deals to worry about. They could extend Porzingis next summer and have the deal go into effect that season, but even then you’re looking at less than $60 million in guaranteed salary. A long-term Waiters deal that balloons at the end might be worthwhile for New York.
Waiters just completed the most efficient season of his career with the Heat, shooting 42 percent from the field and scoring nearly 20 points per 36 minutes. He was also more of a playmaker this year than we’ve ever seen, with 5.2 assists per 36 to go along with his scoring. Miami’s team structure let Waiters go to work whenever point guard Goran Dragic was off the court, and especially when Tyler Johnson was injured. He thrived in those situations, but even found a way to fit with other offensive studs.
That’s the value he’ll offer to a team like New York, who needs complementary offensive pieces. Waiters shot 43 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s last year, and 39 percent on “open” 3s. Spot him up or run him through screens around a Melo-centric offense, and he can have value. When the stars leave the court, Waiters can make life difficult for opposing benches.
The confident young guard is probably worth something similar to Lance Stephenson’s Charlotte deal from three years ago. Three years and $27 million is fair for Waiters, who is still inconsistent defensively and mostly unproven as a core piece of a winning team. If you’re Waiters, you accept the relative discount because of the long-term security in a bigger city, with one more big contract at age 28 still available should you earn it.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported that players and agents “increasingly look at the Knicks as a destination of absolute last resort”. It’s possible Waiters is in that camp, but he also learned last season that the market can dry up if a player is picky. I expect Waiters to enter free agency eager for a deal and willing to accept something around $9 or $10 million per season for over a longer contract.