Durant on Waiters: “We’re going to make him feel wanted”

Dion Waiters had plenty of chances to shine in Cleveland, but apparently the perception is that he was persona non grata in the Cavaliers locker room. When asked about how he plans to integrate Waiters in to the Oklahoma City Thunder offense following Monday night’s trade, reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant had the following to say:

“He’s a guy who has a lot of toughness. Being from the East Coast, I know a lot about Philadelphia where he comes from, South Philly where he comes from. Those guys are tough. They play with an edge, and that’s what he needs here.

I’m excited about Dion. I can’t wait to have him.

“We are going to make him feel wanted. I don’t know that he has felt that the last few years. We want him here and are happy to have him here.”

Now we don’t know the context of the question asked, but it’s apparent that Durant views the deal (coupled with last season’s rumors of consternation with point guard Kyrie Irving) as an indication that he was no longer wanted in Cleveland. The Cavaliers, unfortunately, desperately need defense on the wing, and Waiters was their only real tradable asset with value. The kid can score in bunches and provides an attitude that will immediately earn him plenty of fans in Oklahoma City. But he also requires the ball in his hands and perpetually wanted to start—something that did not fit in to the Cavs’ plans long term.

There will be plenty of comparison of Wade to former Thunder sixth man James Harden. For the swingman’s sake, here’s hoping those ultimately go a lot better than those regarding Dwyane Wade during his time in Cleveland.

Waiters averaged 14.7 and 15.9 points his first two seasons with the Cavaliers in less than 30 minutes per game. While playing alongside LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving this season, however, Waiters dropped to career-lows of 10.5 points in 23.8 minutes per game.

[Related: Reaction: Cavs were forced to deal Waiters]