The Boston Celtics should pursue a Hassan Whiteside trade

The Boston Celtics should pursue Hasssan Whiteside in a trade this offseason.

The Boston Celtics have a lot of assets and that could make it easy for them to land Hassan Whiteside in a trade. There’s no concrete rumor to this, but rather an opinion they should pursue the center via trade.

Whiteside is under contract for another three years and the money isn’t bad for a top-talent center. According to Spotrac, by his final season under contract (2019-20), Whiteside will be making a little over $27 million.

Whiteside is one of the best centers in the NBA and is easily one of the best defenders. His 7’0″, 265-pound frame allows him to muscle defenders down low. His 7’7″ wingspan allows him to practically block any shot that comes around the rim.

During the 2015-16 season, he averaged a scorching 3.7 blocks per game, which is still his career high average. Beyond that season, he’s good for about two blocks per game or more if given more minutes.

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This season however, he’s only averaging 1.7 blocks. In his career he’s averaged 2.5 blocks per game. The dip in numbers is due to Miami only playing him 25.6 minutes per game. Some of this is due to some injuries this season, but when he’s healthy, he’s still not getting enough time.

This season, Whiteside is averaging 14.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 assists and 0.8 steals per game. He’s a guy who will play above the rim, post up, grab every rebound and is an all-around solid defender.

Whiteside will not shoot from anywhere further than outside the paint. He isn’t a good shooter, but he’s still very successful offensively because of his athleticism.

There seems to be a lot of issues between Whiteside and the Miami Heat. The latest rift between the two parties came after the Heat’s lost to the Brooklyn Nets in overtime on March 31. After the loss, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that he had this to say:

"“A lot of teams don’t have a good center. They are going to use their strengths. It’s bull [expletive]. It’s really bull [expletive], man. There are a lot of teams that can use a center. [Expletive]. That’s one of them. That’s bull [expletive].”"

He’s not wrong, Whiteside does deserve more minutes than what he’s given, even if he’s battled injuries. The Heat are battling in the Eastern Conference to hopefully move up in the standings and not playing their best big is cause for concern.

Boston should look to trade for Whiteside because he would be a major difference-maker on defense. The Celtics are already a great defensive team, but adding one of the best in the league would make them even scarier.

He might not be as good offensively as Al Horford, but he can affect the game just as much. Horford will shoot 3s, but Whiteside is a lot more athletic and can make the offense more dangerous because of his size and rim-running ability.

Plus, Whiteside is 28 years old and will be turning 29 in June, which would be close to three years younger than Horford.

This could be a possible trade scenario:

Both sides win in this trade. Boston would be getting a younger and cheaper athletic big man who plays elite defense. For Miami’s side, they would be parting ways with a player that has been growing more and more upset.

It seems imminent that he’ll be traded soon because of the constant issues that has gone on with the two parties. It would seem unlikely that Whiteside stays in Miami until he’s a free agent in 2020.

Miami gets a young player in the draft in 2020 and would be getting an All-Star center that knows how to win and would fit their system well. Horford is not one to complain or cause any issues – he’s essentially the ultimate team guy.

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Whiteside’s frustrations continue to grow bigger and bigger with the Heat. It would be likely that he’s traded in the near future. It would be wise for Boston too look into trading for the center because of his elite defensive abilities and athleticism.

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