Miami Heat: 3 bold predictions for 2018-19 NBA season

1. Hassan Whiteside is bought out via the stretch-and-waive provision

Of all the matters facing the Heat this offseason, this is one that’s highly likely to have repercussions once the season commences.

After a career year in 2016-17, Hassan Whiteside had a noticeable drop in all aspects of his game last season, further compounded by missing 28 games due to a variety of ailments. As a result, Whiteside at various times throughout the season lost his composure, often taking his frustrations out via the media.

Following an overtime game against the Brooklyn Nets late in the season in which he failed to return to the floor after being subbed out with 3:55 remaining in the third quarter, Whiteside lost his cool afterwards:

Following the Heat’s first round playoff exit at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, Whiteside again voiced his displeasure at his role on the team:

Immediately following the Heat’s five-game playoff exit, long-time Miami Herald columnist Barry Jackson stated the following in a piece:

"“The Heat is expected to explore a Whiteside trade, with the center due $24.4 million and $27.1 million in the final two years of his contract.”"

Try as they might, the Heat have been unable to find a trading partner for Whiteside, with the numbers mentioned by Jackson for the coming two seasons simply proving too big an obstacle to overcome.

Which brings us to the next stage of a buyout. Under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, if Whiteside was waived prior to Aug. 31, the Heat would’ve been able to stretch his remaining money owed over the coming two seasons over the next five seasons. Most likely, the Heat would’ve swallowed the amount owed this season, and then stretched the remaining $27.1 over the next years.

Instead, as this would be taken care of between Sep.1 to June 30, the Heat would pay his 2018-19 salary in full, but would then stretch the remaining salary over the coming three seasons, meaning they will be on the books for at least $9 million per year over these years.

A recent example of this occurred just over a fortnight ago, where the Los Angeles Lakers bought out and stretched the final two years of the contract of Luol Deng. Owed $36.8 million over the coming two seasons, Deng agreed to stretch/waive/buyout of his remaining salary under the proviso he gave up $7.5 million. As NBA salary cap expert Albert Nahmad explains:

Naturally, the Heat and Whiteside will commence the season with a clean slate, hoping that a fresh start and renewed optimism can help resolve the relationship between the player and the franchise.

However, the public lashing of the coach and the organization will still be fresh in the minds of all involved. At 29, it’s still plausible that if fully healthy and engaged, Whiteside could still push for another large contract.

As such, and if things go south rather quickly this season, a mutual decision between player and franchise, accompanied by a salary sacrifice similar to Deng’s, could be the most productive way out of a messy situation for both parties.