Welcome back to another All U Can Heat Miami Heat Round Table Discussion. On today’s agenda, we wonder about some hypothetical Hassan Whiteside trade rumors.
1. Do you believe that Hassan Whiteside is on the trade block?
Joseph Zapata (@JosephZapataIII): Trade block? No. Is he a trade possibility? Absolutely. Today’s NBA is just not built around centers (barring Anthony Davis), and Riley knows that. If the trade deadline rolls around and they aren’t 100 percent sure they want Whiteside as part of their future plans, Riley will dump him because the Heat can’t lose a max-salary player for nothing. He might be traded, but I don’t think the Heat are actively shopping him.
Allana Tachauer (@ChitownHeiress): Nah. I mean look, anything can happen in this league. And yes, Whiteside comes with some baggage, by way of his hot-headed demeanor. But he is a one-of-a-kind player, as most centers today are not this impressive offensively. It would not be in the organization’s best interest to shop him around. At least not right now.
Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg): The Heat aren’t in a position where they could actively trade Hassan Whiteside, nor should they be. When he’s at his best, Whiteside is a top three or four center in the NBA. At his worst, he’s an absolute headcase whose tantrums could combust on the court. He represents Miami’s ceiling as well as anyone and, without him, the Heat’s chances diminish substantially. Still, Pat Riley is the person who will at least listen. I think. Not that it matters, though because he’s not trading Whiteside unless someone makes a Godfather offer.
2. If you were another NBA team, would you pick up the phone to ask about Whiteside?
Joseph: If I’m a general manager, I only want Whiteside if I’m in a win-now situation; understanding I’ll probably only have him for this season. After this year, Whiteside will be a free agent and probably sign a deal with the team that offers him the biggest salary and role. Unfortunately, the only team I can see needing Whiteside would possibly be the Cleveland Cavaliers, due to the fact that they are clearly in a win-now situation and they don’t have an overwhelmingly great rim protector.
Allana: Sure, why not? A little inquiry would not hurt, right? The guy is talented, and still has plenty of room to develop. However, Whiteside is not going just anywhere and seeing as the big man is going to enter free agency soon, I would not get my hopes up.
Wes: With Whiteside, it’s all about re-signing him this summer. No team will have his Bird Rights so, as a GM, I would have to be in a position to (a) win this season, (b) make him my top priority and offer him a ton of money this summer and (c) be willing to play the half court style that’s becoming extinct in order to get the most out of his talents. That probably eliminates any team hoping to be in the Durant Chase, or a team so bad that he would want to bolt. So if I’m the general manager for the Raptors, Hornets, Knicks, or Mavericks, I’m giving Pat Riley a phone call.
3. Trade machine time, build your fantasy Miami Heat trade.
Joseph: I want to preface this suggestion by saying that it’s clearly a stretch, and it only works if the Heat are in a desperate win-now situation.
TRADE: (Knicks) Carmelo Anthony, Lance Thomas for (Heat) Chris Andersen, Udonis Haslem, Luol Deng, Justise Winslow
This trade technically works, and will allow the Heat to get instant scoring from Anthony (if he agrees to waive his no-trade clause), while also getting some defensive wing help from Thomas. The Knicks in return get a bunch of ugly expiring contracts and one young potential star in Winslow. The Heat would be all in, and the Knicks would officially be rebuilding around Porzingis and Winslow. The loss of Winslow will probably seem like too much for Heat fans, but can you really turn down a lineup of Wade, Bosh and Anthony?
Allana: Honestly, this is not my forte. But here is what I will say. First off, the Heat need to stay far, far away from Dwight Howard. For so many reasons, it could be a post on its own. Second, although I would miss his antics, if we could get rid of Chris Andersen, we should. He has only played in three games so far this season, and to say his days are numbered, is a reach. Obviously he would have to be part of a package deal though, perhaps with the likes of Luol Deng?
Wes: The Heat need perimeter shooting. That’s not a secret. They just don’t have much to trade but, when breaking down the roster, Josh McRoberts’ expiring contract might be the most tradeable asset the Heat could be willing to part with. So let’s go look at the Memphis Grizzlies, who are changing their philosophy mid-season from the grind it out style predicated on the Marc Gasol-Zach Randolph front court to a more spaced out strategy with Z-Bo coming off the bench. That means they could switch up their personnel. McRoberts is the kind of power forward who can play faster and make his teammates better. The Grizzlies could use him as the starter along with Gasol to mimic what their Western Conference rivals the San Antonio Spurs are doing with their bigs on the elbows. They could spare to part with Courtney Lee (whose contract expires at the end of the season) who is a good 3-point shooter and above average defender.