Portland Trail Blazers: Why Hassan Whiteside is worth the risk
By Ty Delbridge
The Portland Trail Blazers got in on all the offseason fun by acquiring Hassan Whiteside from the Miami Heat. Here are three reasons Whiteside is worth the risk for the Blazers.
After missing out on Hassan Whiteside back in the 2016 free agency period, Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey was able to land him via trade in 2019.
ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on Twitter Monday morning. The Blazers have agreed to trade Maurice Harkless to the Los Angeles Clippers and Meyers Leonard to the Miami Heat as part of a four-team trade involving Whiteside.
Whiteside was drafted 33rd overall back in 2010 and then played for the Sacramento Kings for the first two years of his career. Between 2012-14, he bounced around the G league and went overseas after being released by the Kings. The Heat picked him up in 2014 and Whiteside has been playing his way to relevance ever since.
Standing 7’0” and weighing in at 265 pounds, he has crazy length and athleticism, which is why he can make his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Whiteside is walking double-double and has put up some monster stat lines throughout his career.
In July of 2016, Whiteside signed a four-year, $98 million contract with the Heat. His best basketball as a pro came in those five seasons with Miami. In that time, he averaged 14.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 57.5 percent from the field.
Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers president of basketball operations, with some incredible moves this offseason. Adding Hassan Whiteside to the mix without giving up a core piece is masterful. Portland is a real championship contending force.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2019
The Blazers needed to tweak their roster up a bit and bring in some fresh talent. Whiteside may be a little immature, but he’s arguably one of the better big men in the NBA when he puts it all together.
This Portland team will probably be the best one he’s played on, and being around high character guys like Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Kent Bazemore and head coach Terry Stotts should help Whiteside buy into the culture that has been built in Rip City.
With all that mind, let’s take a look at a few reasons why Whiteside is worth the risk for the Blazers this next season.