Lakers, Heat Reportedly Interested in Dion Waiters for Right Price

The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers are seen as two potential suitors for Dion Waiters when he hits the open market this summer. 

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported there was a "concern" new Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who used to represent Waiters, might come armed with a big-money contract. The Heat are interested in holding onto Waiters but "[don't] want to overpay."

Waiters, 25, averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in 2016-17, his first season in Miami. He signed a two-year, $5.9 million contract with a player option for the second season, which he is expected to decline.

The stint in Miami proved a successful bet on himself for Waiters, who spent most of last July scrambling to find a new home. The former Syracuse product previously played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, where he developed a reputation as an inconsistent and overconfident (to his detriment) scorer.

While he was limited to 46 games due to injury, Miami seemed to remedy part of Waiters' bad habits. He shot a career-best 39.5 percent from beyond the arc and saw his assist rate skyrocket, seemingly basking in solid coaching from Erik Spoelstra.

The Lakers may wind up being a suitor behind the scenes to drive Waiters' price up but don't appear to have any major plans to spend money this summer. 

“I’m really looking to keep the cap space that we have and really try to play in next year’s free agent class, and not really this free agent class," Lakers president Magic Johnson told reporters, per Jackson.

Miami's biggest competitor will probably be an as-yet-unnamed suitor that will come armed with space as the cap jumps yet again in July.