Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Two want to stay right here
James Johnson, Waiters express desire to remain
Dion Waiters and James Johnson have repeatedly said they want to continue their NBA careers in South Florida.
Now, it’s up to the Miami Heat to determine if they are willing to keep them around. After having breakout seasons, both players become free agents this summer.
“I’m home,” Johnson said. “That’s what it feels like. I love it here. We had a great season. I love the culture here. I’m very passionate about this place.”
Johnson is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Waiters also had a revival, putting together arguably his greatest season. He was third on the team in scoring at 15.8 points a game before an ankle injury caused him to miss the final 13 games of the regular season.
Waiters said he hopes to remain with the Heat but knows anything can happen during free agency, which begins July 1.
“You really can’t determine those type of things,” Waiters said. “I can’t predict the future. The only thing I can do is just be around … I really don’t try to look too far. It’s only April. That stuff will come around in July. When it does come around, we’ll sit down and take care of it.”
Johnson and Waiters said they are willing to have a meeting with team president Pat Riley to discuss the future. When asked if he would take less money to stay in Miami, Waiters said “Whatever it takes. I can’t answer that right now.”
Late Saturday night team owner Micky Arison posted a photo on his Instagram account of him standing next to Waiters and Johnson. The caption read: “The @miamiheat future looks very bright.” The Heat will have $37 million in cap space.
“It’s not always greener on the other side,” Johnson said. “That’s the only thing that’s going on in the back of my head right now. I might not have the same opportunities that I had this year to get out the box and to play the way that I can …Who knows if I can get that in another city? Money has nothing to do with that. I love basketball. I love the game and I love it here.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said keeping the core together is one of the priorities. The Heat just barely missed the playoffs after going 30-11 in the second half of season.
“There’s a long way until this summer, and I think it’s still OK to reflect embrace how unique this summer was,” Spoelstra said. “I think so often all of us fall to prey to what’s next. And what is the future? And you’re not able to enjoy and be present.”
What excites Spoelstra the most about both players is they are still developing. Johnson was once considered a journeyman before becoming the Heat’s most versatile player. Waiters, the No. 4 pick in the 2012 draft, battled with inconsistency during stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder. This season, he was often the Heat’s best player in the fourth quarter.
“I put [Waiters] in the same category as James,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll want to be open to all the improvement, and I think the timing was, again, right. For a player that had been kicked around, never had felt that he was maximized to where he could be, and in an environment that we felt could maybe bring something different. We’re not saying we do it better than anybody, but just an environment that might be the right fit to be able to bring something different or more out of Dion, and I think it was a great fit.”