NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Stars Guaranteed To Stay Put At Deadline

Hassan Whiteside, C – Miami Heat

Not long ago, ESPN’s Zach Lowe claimed that no one, including Hassan Whiteside, was untouchable on the Miami Heat roster. While reports have since come out stating otherwise, it certainly got people talking about a potential Whiteside deal.

The Heat recently handed Whiteside a massive contract to be their face of the franchise. The move forced the team to move on from Dwyane Wade, and has since watched them fall into NBA irrelevance. With a rebuild obviously on the horizon, a Whiteside trade didn’t seem completely unfeasible.

However, according to Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler, it’s “highly unlikely” the Heat trade away Whiteside.

As I opined following Lowe’s initial comments, moving Whiteside this early simply doesn’t make sense. The Heat didn’t pay him all that money to ship him off less than a year later. It’s not like he’s been a disappointment this season. In fact, he’s easily been one of the best big men throughout the NBA in 2016-17.

When it comes down to it, this was way more smoke than fire. Lowe certainly got people talking, but it appears it was nothing more than speculation. All signs point to Whiteside staying in South Beach for a long time.