When Dion Waiters came into the NBA, there were some high expectations. However, Waiters ended up struggling through his young career so far and he is now one of the top stars for the up-and-coming Miami Heat. However, at the age of 25, with other NBA superstars getting max contracts and huge superstar deals, Waiters signed with the Miami Heat on a four-year deal worth $52 million.
According to Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant, Dion Waiters should have gotten more. Durant then said that it was all Waiters fault that he is underpaid at this point in his career.
Kevin Durant on Dion Waiters
Kevin Durant is an interesting story. He could be the highest paid player in the entire NBA right now if he had remained with the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, he chose to chase an NBA ring instead and took less money to play on a super team. However, it was Durant's choice to take less money for an easier chance at a championship ring.
On the other hand, he sees Dion Waiters as someone who didn't get the opportunity to choose his own destination and set his own career path. On "The Bill Simmons Podcast," Durant said that Waiters messed up early on in his career.
"Hell yeah. He should have got more. But he knows that his fault. He could have got more," Durant said "He f***ed around.
He's supposed to be better. He knows that. He waited too long to do what he's doing in Miami I think."
Dion Waiters NBA career
Dion Waiters was a huge star in college when he played at Syracuse from 2010-12. His performance in those two seasons allowed him to rise to the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, where the Cleveland Cavaliers chose him.
He was fifth in the running for NBA Rookie of the Year.
Sadly for Waiters, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded him in the middle of the 2014-15 NBA season to the Oklahoma City Thunder, costing him a trip to the NBA Finals that season. It was that season that Waiters played with Kevin Durant before watching KD bolt at the end of the season for the Warriors.
Dion Waiters stuck with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2015-16 season, but finished with a career-low 9.8 points-per-game. After the season, the Thunder allowed Waiters to shop himself around and he ended up with the Miami Heat.
Last season, Dion Waiters had a rebound season where he averaged his second highest point totals (15.8 ppg), highest rebound totals (3.3) and highest assist totals (4.3). He was instrumental in the Miami Heat finishing the season with a .500 record and missing the NBA playoffs only through a tiebreaker.
According to Kevin Durant, Dion Waiters was too unfocused and messed around too much early in his career. As a result, his new Miami Heat contract is much less than it could have been. However, at 25, Waiters has plenty of time to finally reach his potential.
