All U Can Heat
Fansided

The Importance of Hassan Whiteside’s Offseason

By Allana Tachauer

facebooktwitterreddit

The Miami Heat may have missed out on the postseason this year, but there are still plenty of goals to be met this summer. Between gearing up for the 2015 NBA Draft, nursing the team back to health, and negotiating contracts, the hustle never stops. And the players themselves have been hard at work to ensure success for next season.

Among the continuous reminders of LeBron James’ departure, inconsistent play, and endless injuries, the Heat’s 2014-2015 season did in fact house a few moments worth celebrating. Perhaps the most memorable of these was the addition of center Hassan Whiteside, and his subsequent standout year.

Although many referred to him as Miami’s newest rookie, Whiteside already had plenty of experience under his belt. Drafted in 2010 by the Sacramento Kings, he ended up bouncing between the D-League and international teams in the likes of China and Lebanon. However, it was only until the Heat signed him in 2014 that his talents finally became recognized. He took off in December, and ended up recording his first career double-double in January. Of course, many others followed.

More from All U Can Heat

Currently, Whiteside is in line to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2015-16 season, and will without a doubt be expecting more than the $760,000 he made this year. The question is whether or not he will remain with Miami, moving forward.

In order to receive a max deal (projected to be around $21.5 million per year), Whiteside has to continue to put up big numbers on both sides of the court. Injuries aside, this should be no problem for the 25-year-old, who has been waiting to be given a chance for quite some time now. The issue becomes if he can develop into the type of player that the Heat need and/or want around.

On paper, it may seem as though Miami has size. Chris Bosh, Chris Andersen and Josh McRoberts are all front court, big men. But the reality of the situation is that both age, as well as health concerns, plague this group. And depending on them alone would be dangerous. Whiteside not only brings a 7-foot frame to the table, but also has age on his side.

Additionally, Whiteside can score, and not just in regards to his position. In fact, some would argue that he is better on offense, than defense.

More from Heat News

So what is the problem then? Well, it seems to be two-fold.

First, a history of rejection and failure has turned him into a bit of a hothead. From unnecessary commentary against teams who have overlooked him, to aggression on the court, Whiteside certainly has some maturing to do.

There is also the issue of salary. In order to keep him around and provide a deserving payday, the Heat have to make some sacrifices. Right now, they only have four players on the books for the 2016-2017 season: Bosh, McRoberts, Shabazz Napier and James Ennis. They will certainly try and re-sign Goran Dragic, as well as Dwyane Wade (should he not retire), and may want to keep Luol Deng around too. Therefore, when it is all said and done, Miami is left with little to no financial leeway.

The bottom line is, for the Heat to re-sign Whiteside, he will absolutely have to prove his worth this offseason. But if he can do that, there should be no reason for him to leave South Beach.

Whiteside is truly one of a kind, recently coming in fourth for NBA Most Improved Player of the Year. He is as athletic as they come for a center, and has a ridiculous wingspan that easily leads to otherwise impossible blocked shots. He can score off of pick-and-rolls, yet dunks effortlessly, and also dabbles in floaters and jump hooks. If he can improve his passing, and limit his personal fouls and turnovers (he is already working on his free-throws), there will truly be no way that Miami could pass him up. Even if his contract depletes them of any wiggle room.

Home/Heat News