Philadelphia 76ers: Did They Miss Out on Dion Waiters Last Summer?

The Philadelphia 76ers decided not to pursue Dion Waiters last summer. Was that a bad decision, and should they rectify it this summer?

Last summer, the Philadelphia 76ers opted not to go after Dion Waiters in free agency. This was largely seen as a smart move, and most of the league approached Waiters with a conservative approach as well.

At the time, he was probably the most perplexing free agent. He was the only big name left on the market late in free agency, and with the Oklahoma City Thunder spending quite a bit of their free cash already, they were not dedicated to spending much more on Waiters.

At the same time, there was a lot of confusion surrounding Waiters and what type of a player he was going to be moving forward. While with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he wasn’t given much time to shine mainly because he was playing under the shadows of two of the greatest players in the league — Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

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Waiters looked primed for big money, but a lot of teams weren’t sure he was ready to make the jump from role player to leader. He ended up signing with the Miami Heat on a two-year, $6 million contract. This summer, he has the option to stay in Miami on the same deal, but he can opt out of it if he chooses to do so.

After the season he had with Miami this year, the 25-year-old guard is likely to opt out of his deal, even if he intends to stay in Miami. All signs point to him being poised to making more money.

Waiters made a huge jump this season and proved himself as a name in the NBA, and not just someone who was riding the coattails of Durant and Westbrook. While the storyline this season has been about the emergence of Westbrook after the departure of Durant, the breakup also allowed Waiters to explode as an independent star in his own regard.

Waiters went from averaging 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists last season with the Thunder to averaging 15.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists with the Heat this year in just 3 more minutes per game. His field goal percentage improved from 39.9 percent to 42.3 percent, and his 3-point percentage improved from 35.8 percent to 39.4 percent.

Waiters noticeably bulked up in Miami as well, recently posting a picture comparing his build from the beginning of the season to the end of the season on his Instagram Story. He jokes that it was from wrestling Gators, something he couldn’t have done in Philadelphia.

It begs the question — Did Philly miss out on signing Waiters last season, and would he have been able to make the same developments in Philadelphia?

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The distraction theory

It was rumored last offseason that the reason the front office didn’t want to go after Waiters was mainly because he was from the Philadelphia area, and there was question as to if his friends in the area would prove to be a distraction for him, getting him into off-court trouble.

I always found this theory to be a bit far-fetched, and quite unfair to pin on a player who had something to prove (and also a player with no prior history to getting into trouble). I had the thought then that if Waiters was available for a low price (somehow, he was) that the Sixers should at least interview him, but they were clearly concerned enough about the off-court aspect to not approach him too aggressively.

The team is in a formidable stage where having players get in trouble off the court could be detrimental to the long-term success, but holding Waiters’ hometown against him is a little odd. If anything, I would think that having the ability to invite friends and family to his games would be inspiration to do better.

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The contract in Miami

The contract Waiters signed in Miami was, by NBA salary cap standards, small. $3 million for a player of his caliber is pretty humbling for Waiters, and that is arguably a huge reason why he popped off this season. There was a chip on his shoulder and reason for him to go out and make a statement.

The money he was offered proved that he was not really an attractive free agent and that there were doubts all around him. There were even doubts about Miami this season, and as a team they really pulled together, nearly making the playoffs despite the tone being that they were poised to tank at the midway point of the season.

The Sixers likely would have offered Waiters more — although if they knew they could get away with $3 million a year, they probably would have tried — and he might have had less of a drive to prove himself if that were the case.

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The situation in Miami

Another thing to note is the situation in Miami going into this season. Overall, the team had more to prove than the Sixers. Both teams were looking to prove something to their fans and the league, but the situation in Miami was a bit more aggressive and a bit more of a “win-now” type of deal.

Dwyane Wade had just left Miami to sign with his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, and the Heat were not looking to let that push them into an era of rebuilding and tanking. With the team signing Dion and trusting him with a lot of the leadership duties, they clearly were hoping as a unit that they could prove themselves.

Philly, while still looking to prove themselves to the league after years of intentional losing, were not looking to win as aggressively as the Heat were.

The verdict on whether or not he would have made the developments he did in Miami, in Philadelphia

So, all things considered, would Waiters have made the developments in Philadelphia that he did in Miami? I doubt it. Considering he wouldn’t have been the main focal point of the excitement around the team with Joel Embiid debuting, I can’t imagine Waiters would have had the pressure put on him to hit the gym as hard as he did.

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Should Philly consider going after him?

Now, just because Waiters probably wouldn’t have made these developments in Philadelphia last year doesn’t mean he can’t be a part of the team moving forward after having his growth year in Miami. Waiters is almost guaranteed to opt out of his contract, and although he’s expressed his desire to stay in Miami, he’s bound to want more money.

And considering general manager Pat Riley let team icon Dwyane Wade walk last summer mainly due to money disagreements, there’s certainly no guarantee that Waiters and Miami’s relationship continues.

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If that’s the case, and Waiters is seeking out money from teams that aren’t Miami, Philly should at least consider spending some money on him if they feel the fit is right. Of course, there’s the pretty solid chance the team picks a guard with their lottery pick this year, but who knows what’s in the plans for team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo. Maybe he’s changed his mind on Waiters.

Would Dion Waiters Have Had Same Success in Philadelphia as He Did in Miami?

By Josh Wilson | Apr 24, 2017