The Miami Heat should consider moving on from Hassan Whiteside.
It’s not a great situation. Hassan Whiteside has developed into an All-Star level talent for the Miami Heat. His growing offensive game combined with his ferocious defense makes him an ideal big in today’s NBA game. The problem?
Whiteside is going to command a monster deal that the Heat may not be able to match, without Bird rights Whiteside could leave this offseason, with the Heat ultimately receiving nothing in return. That’s a risk an aging Heat franchise just can’t take.
Whiteside came to the Heat on a minimum deal after a two-year absence from the NBA. He never found his stride with the Sacramento Kings, who drafted him, a fact that wouldn’t shock many in the NBA community. Whiteside exceeded all expectations and remarkably has worked his way up to the league’s elite at the center position.
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While it’s not impossible for the Heat to re-sign Whiteside this offseason, they’d have to do some real manoeuvring. In addition to Whiteside, Udonis Haslem, Luol Deng, Gerald Green, Tyler Johnson, and Heat front-man Dwyane Wade will all be free agents.
While Whiteside is the most important piece to the Heat’s future of that mix, are the Heat confident they can make it work? Does Wade really want to wait around again? Wade bit the bullet two offseasons ago in order for the Heat to accommodate LeBron James; in the end James left anyway. Fool me once…
Regardless, even if you’re a believer, even if you have unshakeable faith in the Godfather, Pat Riley, if there’s a chance you could get burned you have to at least consider some other options. With that said, I’ve thrown together a few feasible landing spots for the Miami Heat to send Whiteside.
Keep in mind, all of these deals hinge on the idea that Whiteside would strongly consider re-signing with the team he was traded to.
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