OKC Offseason: Dion Waiters

The curious case of Dion Waiters comes in as the topic of TI’s second installment of the offseason series. Dion Waiter’s rookie contract is up, making him a restricted free agent this offseason. That means that although he can search the pool of clubs looking to add a dynamic shooting guard to their roster, the Oklahoma City Thunder have the right to match whatever offer sheet is thrown his way. That puts the Thunder in the driver’s seat of Dion’s future with the team, but will signing him back be the best move for the team? Let’s dive into the pros and cons of Dion.

May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (3) dribbles the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

2015-2016 Salary: $5,138,430

Restricted Qualifying offer for 2016-2017 season: $6,777,589

Throughout the regular season our belief in Dion was about as mercurial as his play on the court. Some would describe his play as spotty or inconsistent, others would describe his play as erratic or at times unnecessary. The former 4th overall pick’s season averages were underwhelming for a sixth man of the year hopeful. Many were expecting him to make a big step this season and become that third ball handler and scoring option behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

We all know that Waiters has superb talent that led to him being the 4th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. We also know that Dion believes that he can become the best player in the league, or that he already is. Reality proves that the latter is a bit far-fetched, but he showed his value during this year’s playoff run. While he only averaged 8.4 points and 2.3 assists per game, in the playoffs for a role player it’s not about how many points they score per game, it’s about when and how those points are scored. Dion Waiters’ had pivotal moments in this year’s playoffs that warranted the Thunder to look to roll the dice and decide to match any contract he is offered, but was that enough?

May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (3) reacts during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Pros for deciding to keep Waiters has everything to do with team cohesion and potential. Whether they care to admit it or not, the Thunder have been searching desperately for a sixth man since the James Harden trade. Having a sixth man with starter capabilities coming off the bench to spell KD and Russ has long been a vision of this franchise set under General Manager Sam Presti’s guidance.

Waiters is only 24 years old with a lot of room to grow into his own. He has also stated adamantly that he loves this organization and his teammates are like his brothers. His teammates, most notably Kevin Durant, have been in his corner ever since he was traded here in January of 2015. He felt he was unappreciated in Cleveland and the Thunder threw him into the fire immediately, giving him plenty of playing time to prove his worth even with most of that playing time coming because of the rash of injuries that hit this Thunder squad last year.

If this team is built on team cohesion and chemistry like Sam Presti constantly states, then signing him back should be a no-brainer. Keeping Dion would work into the team’s benefit, for the right price of course, as he has become stable for this locker room during these last two months of the season. He has to improve, much like everyone on the roster, on mostly all facets of his game to warrant Presti investing a good deal of money on him, but he is certainly capable of doing so.

May 22, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters (3) looks to pass as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) defends during the first quarter in game three of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Cons for deciding to let Dion walk in free agency has everything to do with salary cap space and Durant’s impending decision on whether to sign elsewhere or not. The Thunder has until June 30th to decide to place a qualifying offer on Waiters. The NBA salary cap is projected to be at about $90,000,000 for the upcoming season leaving OKC with about $20,000,000 to work with, before they potentially re-sign Kevin Durant of course. The team’s current payroll is $69,610,963 without both Durant and Waiters. Signing Dion will put the Thunder over the cap for the second straight year in the instance of KD being signed, but well under the cap if he doesn’t.