2012 No. 4 pick Dion Waiters attempting NBA comeback after 3 seasons away from league
Dion Waiters wants to return to the NBA.
The No. 4 pick of the 2012 draft held a private workout at Victoria Fertitta Middle School in Las Vegas, reportedly in front of a dozen league scouts and executives, according to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes. Waiters hasn't played in an NBA game since the 2020 playoffs in the COVID-19 bubble when he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, but the 31-year-old veteran said he believes he can contribute to a team.
"I'm healthy. I just want that opportunity just to show I'm not who I once was," Waiters said. "And I know a lot of people talk about that, but for me, I think it's more about showing that I've changed. That's why I'm here, man. I still got that love. I still got that itch.
"I know I can still help a team win at the highest level on the court and even in the locker room as a veteran presence. So why not just give it a go and just see what happens? You never know."
Waiters enjoyed a productive, yet rocky, 10-year NBA career before his exit from the association after the 2020 season. He averaged 13.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers (who drafted him), Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat and a seven-game stint with the Lakers.
But a tumultuous start to the 2019-20 season with the Heat effectively signaled the beginning of Waiters' involuntary three-year hiatus.
Miami suspended Waiters three times between Oct. 19 and Dec. 12, 2019: First for the season opener after he complained about his role on the team, then for 10 games after Waiters consumed THC-infused edibles and had a panic attack on a flight and finally for six games when Waiters posted a picture of himself celebrating his birthday after he told the team he was sick. The Heat traded Waiters to the Memphis Grizzlies after only three appearances that season, after which Waiters was waived before he signed with the Lakers days before the season was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Waiters admitted what happened that year is the biggest regret of his career.
"I was so irresponsible and immature," he said. "I let the Heat down. They were good to me. I did not handle it well at all.
"The things that were going on were avoidable if I had just shut the hell up and let my agent handle a lot of that stuff. And if I did that, we wouldn't even be here today. I'd still be playing. Everything happens for a reason. I looked myself in the mirror already, bro. I read my rights, I read my wrongs, and now I just got to keep pushing, moving forward and living with the results."
During his first year out of the league, Waiters said he experienced a lot of depression and anxiety before he started to talk with a therapist. That decision helped him overcome a lot of the issues that manifested during and after his NBA career. He also admitted that his attitude during his time in the league played a large role in why he wasn't playing anymore.
"When I stopped playing, anxiety kicked in," Waiters said. "I constantly worried about what was next."
What comes next for Waiters isn't up to him, though. It'll be on team decision-makers who need a veteran guard and are willing to overlook Waiters' past. Another knock agains Waiters: Not only is he three years older than he was when he left the NBA, but the league is also very different place than it was in 2020.
There may not be a spot in the NBA for Waiters anymore, but he's at least making an attempt to recapture what he lost.
