NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason targets for the Denver Nuggets

4. Dion Waiters

The market for Waiters is going to be quite interesting this summer. Many teams that could use Waiters will probably be afraid to pay him. While he had a fantastic year in Miami, teams will rightly question how repeatable his 2016-2017 campaign can be. Much of Waiters’ production came on tough mid-range jumpers, which he has willingly taken but usually missed throughout his career. He shot a solid 42 percent on shots from 16-23 feet and made the 3-pointer at a 39.5 percent rate (per Basketball-Reference). If that success proves unsustainable, Waiters might quickly become a sunk cost.

Waiter has demonstrated however, that he can be a useful player on both ends of the floor. He played an important role for a Thunder team that drove the Warriors to the brink in 2016 and then he blossomed with more touches in Miami last season.

Adding Waiters to Denver might seem redundant considering the wealth of guards the Nuggets have at their disposal. He brings some intensity on the defensive end that this team lacks though. Waiters isn’t a lockdown defender but he fights hard and he’s very strong, which means he can competently guard bigger players. At the other end, he showed off improved playmaking and passing abilities, and he absorbed a healthy portion of the Heat’s ball handling duties.

The Nuggets might have to make a deal to clear up their guard rotation if they sign Waiters. Even so, if they could get Waiters at something like four-years, $60 million they should seriously consider pursuing him.