NBA's Dion Waiters to miss huge bonus payment after suspension over pot edibles
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Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters will miss out on a hefty check this season following his suspension Friday over an incident in which he required medical attention after eating a cannabis-infused edible during the team’s charter flight to Los Angeles.
The Heat suspended Waiters without pay for 10 games, citing “a number of instances this season in which Dion has engaged in conduct detrimental to the team.” While the Heat have yet to publicly comment on the details, Waiters experienced a bad reaction after eating pot gummies and passed out on the team plane, according to multiple reports.
Waiters has a clause in his contract that would pay him a $1.2 million bonus if he played in at least 70 of the Heat’s 82 games during the 2019-20 season. The suspension effectively cost Waiters a chance at earning the lucrative bonus.
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The 27-year-old guard will also lose a portion of his $12.1 million salary during the suspension, pushing the incident’s total cost beyond $2 million.
“We are very disappointed in Dion’s actions this season that include the very scary situation on Thursday night, and grateful that the outcome wasn’t worse,” the Heat said in a statement.
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Waiters is in the third year of a four-year, $52 million contract with the Heat. He is due to earn nearly $25 million over the final two seasons before becoming a free agent.
Prior to the incident, Waiters had yet to dress for a game this season and had repeatedly spoken out about his lack of playing time in recent weeks. He was also suspended for the first game of the regular season for a series of incidents during the preseason.
It’s unclear if Waiters will face additional penalties for violations of the NBA’s rules on substance use.