Report: Dion Waiters, Jae Crowder and Full Details of Andre Iguodala Trade
February 6, 2020
The Miami Heat reportedly reached an agreement Thursday to trade shooting guard Dion Waiters to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the Andre Iguodala deal.
Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported the update Thursday ahead of the 2020 NBA trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET.
The Grizzlies have included forwards Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill as part of the package, per Charania. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski previously noted Miami was sending Justise Winslow in the high-profile swap.
James Johnson going from Miami to Memphis wrapped up the trade. However, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported later that Johnson has been rerouted to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade for Gorgui Dieng.
Waiters endured a tumultuous start to the 2019-20 NBA season.
The 28-year-old Philadelphia native received a one-game suspension from the Heat for "conduct detrimental to the team" ahead of their October season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies.
In November, Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported Waiters suffered a panic attack after eating a THC-infused edible on a team flight and was forced to receive medical treatment after the plane landed in Los Angeles from Phoenix. The Heat later suspended him 10 games for the incident.
Waiters then received a six-game suspension in December for "continued insubordination," which included posting a picture of himself celebrating his 28th birthday on a boat after calling in sick to work.
The Syracuse product ultimately didn't make his season debut until late January. He averaged 9.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in three games.
He's averaged 13.2 points, 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three across 412 career regular-season appearances.
Before the Heat, he made stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Grizzlies are buying low on Waiters in hope that a change of scenery will spark a career resurgence. He has one more season left on his four-year, $52 million contract, so the move doesn't come without risk, but he can be an impact player when in peak form.
He could emerge as a key backcourt reserve behind starters Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks in Memphis.
Meanwhile, Crowder ranked second on the Grizzlies at 29.4 minutes per game. He's averaged 9.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists across 45 appearances.
He should emerge as the team's top forward reserve behind Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. His 51 games of postseason appearance also figure to help as the Heat attempt to emerge as contenders.
Hill could carve out a niche in a stretch 4 role, as he's improved his three-point shooting to a career-best 38.1 percent this season. He isn't likely to play significant minutes, though.