Waiters not highly ranked on pundits’ free-agent guard list

By all accounts, Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters turned the corner in his NBA career last season.

Waiters, 25, came to the Heat with a reputation for being a selfish, moody player his first six seasons in the league, more concerned about his stat line. But by the end of this season he was being praised by teammates, coaches and executives as a player who not only worked hard off the court to get himself in world-class shape, but was solid defensively and became the consummate teammate and a primary reason Miami recovered from an 11-30 start to finish .500.

“I think he just realizes now what it takes to be a great player,” team president Pat Riley said. Battier surprises high schoolers with college scholarships,

But not everyone agrees. The 6-foot-4 Waiters signed a two-year, $5.9 million contract last summer, with an early termination clause for 2017-18. He is expected to exercise that clause — leaving $3 million on the table — and become a free agent, where he might command a contract starting at at least $15 million. And before spraining his left ankle and missing the final 13 games of the season, Waiters appeared to be among the top shooting guards on the market, and possibly the No. 1 option, depending on whether Dwyane Wade was available.

But several outlets believe that is not even close.

The Ver tic al ranks Waiters fifth among free-agent shooting guards behind Wade — if he declines his player option with the Bulls for $23.8 million, which appears unlikely — Detroit’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Clippers’ J.J. Redick and Atlanta’s Tim Hardaway Jr.

Basketball Insiders lists Wait-