The Miami Heat have said they aren’t shopping Hassan Whiteside. Let’s hope they stay true to that promise.
The Miami Heat have seen better days. Currently ranked 14th in the East, 29th overall in the league, the Heat have reasons to be sellers at February’s NBA trade deadline.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on his podcast that everyone on the Heat roster is available.
"“Up and down the roster, literally every player,” said Lowe towards the end of his latest podcast. “Literally no one is untouchable, not even Hassan Whiteside, by a long shot.”"
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After these remarks, a Heat spokesman quickly cleared up that comment by addressing the major question mark that was on everyone’s mind: Is Whiteside really available?
Hassan Whiteside is not available for trade, according to Heat spokesman. Team is listening to whatever comes its way, but not shopping him.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) January 11, 2017
So Miami is getting ready for the trade season by making everyone available, but are staying adamant on Whiteside’s availability, or lack there of. This is where Pat Riley should put his foot down. Miami is crazy to even consider listening to trade offers for their star big man.
Whiteside is leading the league in rebounding at 14.3 per game and fifth overall in blocks per game. His defensive attributes are close to peaking. He’s not without his flaws. He’s often guilty of bailing out on screens, and his reluctance as a passer is well documented. Still, at 27, he’s made remarkable strides from out of the league to borderline All-Star, and will only get better.
After signing a four-year, $98 million deal this summer. Whiteside is the Heat’s cornerstone player, so Miami has to stick with him, especially in the rebuilding process. Riley would prefer to avoid a 76ers-style tanking process. He wants to rebuild quickly, and keeping Whiteside is the best way to do that.
Riley’s been through rebuilds before and knows how to bounce back. It happened in the 2008-2009 season when Dwyane Wade’s season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. That summer the Heat drafted Michael Beasley. Let’s just say that didn’t work out. Fast forward to 2010 and the Big 3 was formed.
This summer, Riley will have a top-5 pick and enough cap space to add a max-level free agent to work with. With that in mind, Whiteside should remain part of the vision. Don’t explore trading a unique player that Miami won’t even come close to getting the equivalent talent back for. Instead, complete the missing pieces of the puzzle.
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Riley’s been in this position before and understands the pressure of the rebuilding process. I trust Riley will eventually find the right road for a trade or off-season acquisition to build the Heat back up. Until then, we should embrace what Whiteside does well, and continue to indulge in his rise to stardom.