Miami Heat: 3 players who need to work hard leading up to training camp

Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside wants out and the front office and coaching staff want him gone.

While the bridge between the two sides is all but ash at this point, that doesn’t mean they still are not dependent on each other for the upcoming season.

Whiteside still has $52.2 million remaining on his deal and it’s been no secret that the Heat are actively shopping him. While it is indeed a sizeable salary for any team to absorb and is most certainly a factor, it’s not the only hurdle that is hindering any possible deal from gaining traction.

Whiteside has criticized the coaching staff and has also shown a lack of effort (i.e. in the playoffs versus the Philadelphia 76ers), which resulted in the Heat limiting his minutes, thus the dip in production. A trade is unlikely, not only due to his contract but because other teams see his immature antics on and off the court, and don’t like what they see.

This offseason, not only does he need to work on his game, but his attitude as well.

An attitude adjustment will prove to other teams that he can be a leader and not a problem in the locker room. Bad chemistry, injected by a locker room cancer, is the worst problem a team can have, especially if they are contending for a championship. If he achieves this behavioral shift this upcoming season, teams will show an interest in him and Whiteside and the Heat can finally move on and finalize their ugly divorce.

Next: Miami Heat: Who will rule the Eastern Conference in 2018-19?

It’s time for these guys to step it up.