Atlanta Hawks: 5 potential free agent targets in 2017
2. Dion Waiters, SG
Dion Waiters is exactly the type of player the Atlanta Hawks could gamble on in free agency this summer.
During his lone season in Miami, Waiters managed to transform his body, shedding over 12 pounds and decreasing his body fat percentage from 10 to 7.5 percent.
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The result was a career-high in minutes per game, as Waiters spent 30.1 minutes on the court, to go along with 15.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.
After struggling with the long range shot the first four years of his career, Waiters connected 1.8 times from beyond the arc at a 39.5 percent clip. Both figures were the best of his career.
At times, Waiters can be an unstoppable scorer. During Miami’s 13-game winning streak last season, the 25-year-old guard was playing his best basketball of the season, averaging 20.6 points per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.
Waiters is believed to be able to fetch a four-year deal in the range of $60 million in the open market — a contract that could prove to be a bargain, especially for a Hawks team that ranked 27th in offensive efficiency a year ago.