Miami Heat: 5 players who have the most trade value

3. Hassan Whiteside

While many fans think poorly of Hassan Whiteside because of his play in last year’s playoffs, the big man from Marshall is still one of the best centers in the game. He is currently averaging 3.1 blocks and 14.4 rebounds per game, which rank first and second in the league, respectively.

Whiteside is also effective on offense, as he is equipped with a nice arsenal of post moves and is a beast on the offensive boards. He also has a decent shot from mid-range, but does most of his damage near the rim.

Despite Whiteside clearly being Miami’s best big and arguably its best player, he doesn’t crack the top two in trade value for two reasons that go hand-in-hand: contract and inconsistency. Yes, Whiteside is 29 years old, which constitutes his prime, but he is considered to be overpaid. He will make $25.4 million this year and has a player option next year for $27.1 million, which he will most likely opt into.

For someone with a play style that doesn’t fit the modern NBA, $25.4 million is a lot to pay, especially for someone as inconsistent as Whiteside on the defensive end. Centers such as DeAndre Jordan, Clint Cappela, and Rudy Gobert all make around $20 million because they are all great defenders inside. While Whiteside is a fantastic shot-blocker, he is slow when rotating and isn’t as quick as the players just mentioned. Good shot-blocking doesn’t automatically make someone good at defense.

Whiteside is still a relatively good defender, just not enough of a lockdown defender to justify paying him $25 million. If he could stretch his range to the 3-point line, a case could be made that he is getting paid appropriately. But given his somewhat outdated offensive skill-set, he doesn’t play defense well enough to justify his contract. While Whiteside is undoubtedly a talented player, the financial implications make a trade involving him tricky.