Miami Heat: The latest on Hassan Whiteside and free agency

With July 1 officially marking the start of NBA free agency, what will happen with the Miami Heat and center Hassan Whiteside?

The offseason is here, Heat Nation. Which of course means that free agency madness is about to ensue.

Starting July 1, these guys right here will begin taking meetings to figure out if they want to re-sign with their current teams, or chase greener pastures elsewhere.

So what does this mean for the Miami Heat?

Well first and foremost, there is big man Hassan Whiteside to keep in mind.

The center, who dominated in South Beach this past season, is an unrestricted free agent this summer. Coming off of a year during which he made less than $1 million, it is said that Whiteside is now looking for a maximum contract. And whether or not he deserves it, some team out there will certainly provide him said figure.

The question is, will and/or can the Heat?

Well, it should be kept in mind that Miami is dealing with early Bird rights (allowing a team to exceed the salary cap to re-sign their own free agent, up to the maximum salary). In other words, that they will be forced to cross into their cap space if they want to re-sign Whiteside.

It would also be good to note that a maximum contract is now projected to be somewhere around $94.1 million for four years.

So while president Pat Riley might be able to pull that off, it certainly will not be easy.

Now of course, there is the possibility that Whiteside would be willing to take less money, for the right situation.

"“It’s a toss-up. It’s a lot of things that come into it. It’s not one specific thing. It’s like having a wife. You can’t say one specific thing you like about her. You have to like her as a whole. I have to choose it all together, so all of the dots have to connect.”"

But it does not seem to come down to loyalty.

While teammate Udonis Haslem had this piece of advice for the young fella…

"“The team that gave you a chance when nobody else did, for me, it would be a no-brainer. I’d just tell Hassan to be good and loyal to the people who were good to you. No one else believed in you when you were in China or at the YMCA or whatever. The Heat gave him an opportunity and he maximized that opportunity, so I hope he’s loyal to that.”"

Whiteside does not necessarily see it that way.

"“I really don’t think it’s about loyalty. I think it’s just about the best situation for myself and that’s what I think it is.”"

However, he does hope not to have to draw things out, and have things finalized on July 1.

"“On July 1, hopefully I’ll know. I hope it’s an easy decision to make.”"

And without a doubt, fans and members of the media alike hope for the same.

must read: Haslem: Whiteside re-signing with Miami Heat a 'no brainer'

Although losing Whiteside would be a huge blow for the organization, not knowing what will happen is still worse. Especially given that there are so many other things riding on whether or not Whiteside re-signs with the Heat. Like what they can pitch to free agent Kevin Durant. And if they can even think about re-signing the likes of Luol Deng.