MIAMI — A person with knowledge of the situation says Dion Waiters is staying in Miami and has agreed on a new four-year, $52 million contract with the Heat.

The person spoke to The Associated Press Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be finalized before Thursday, under league rules.

Waiters averaged 15.8 points in 46 games last season for the Heat. He was a significant part of how Miami turned its season around after an 11-30 start, going 30-11 in the second half.

The Heat were 27-19 when Waiters played, 14-22 when he did not.

Waiters missed Miami's last 13 games with a badly sprained ankle, and the Heat wound up losing a tiebreaker for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. He played for $2.9 million last season.

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