Report: Heat re-signing Dion Waiters to four-year contract

Update: Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders:

The Miami Heat and free agent guard Dion Waiters have agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal, a league source told Basketball Insiders. The deal does not contain any options, Basketball Insiders has learned.

The Lakers made a one-year, $17 million dollar offer to Waiters, a league source told Basketball Insiders. New York and Chicago verbally expressed interest, but neither team made an offer.

Dion Waiters said he wanted to re-sign with the Heat and not even test free agency.

But Miami chased Gordon Hayward, leaving Waiters twisting in the wind and exploring deals with the Knicks and Lakers.

Ultimately, though, he’ll end up right where he wanted.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

Free agent guard Dion Waiters is finalizing a deal with the Miami Heat, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2017

Sources: Waiters, Heat finalizing a new four-year deal. https://t.co/zRNmcr862O

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2017

Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders:

Sources: Miami Heat and Dion Waiters are discussing a 4-year, $52 million deal.

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 5, 2017

After having his qualifying offer pulled by the Thunder late in free agency last year, Waiters landed in Miami on a cheap room-exception deal. He bought into the Heat’s culture and produced a career year, playing less selfishly offensively and committing more defensively. It was definitely a mutually beneficial arrangement.

But will it continue to be? Contract-year Waiters flourished. There’s no guarantee he maintains the same attitude on a lucrative long-term deal.

At least he’s just 25. Aging-related decline isn’t as much of a concern as mentality.

With Hayward joining the Celtics and Waiters in hand, it seems Pat Riley is going back to his stated plan of keeping the Heat’s overachieving roster together. Perhaps, re-signing James Johnson is next.