Dion Waiters‘ latest suspension by the Heat is reportedly due to him posting pictures on social media of himself on a boat after telling the team that he was sick.
The franchise levied a six-game punishment for “failure to adhere to team policies, violation of team rules and continued insubordination.”
Miami’s front office is said to be “actively exploring avenues to extricate itself” from the 28-year-old guard.
Per Five Reasons Sports and The Miami Herald:
According to three sources, it was inspired by an Instagram post of Waiters hanging out on a boat during a time when the team was made to believe he was unavailable because he was sick. Waiters’ Instagram account (@Waiters3), with more than 350,000 followers, is now private, and no such photo is currently still posted as a regular picture post or Instagram story. But apparently the Heat saw something that troubled them.
According to one source, on its own, this infraction may not have warranted such a lengthy suspension, but it’s due to the cumulative effect of all of Waiters’ distractions, cutting against the team’s valued “Culture” during what has been a less tolerance approach to the season.
One source said every option is “on the table” in trying to achieve that, noting the preference is to keep him away so that he doesn’t hurt team chemistry.
The Heat is open to a buyout of the final year-and-a-half of his contract, but Waiters at this point has been disinclined to accept anything less than $12.1 million he’s owed this year and the $12.7 million he’s due to make next season.
