This summer is going to be so interesting. The Miami Heat have worked wonders in the offseason. And they plan to perform magic once again by attempting to perform the task of having Hassan Whiteside for the Heat’s long-term future.
It’s well documented that they have slim chances of keeping Whiteside, but you never know. The Heat love Hassan, that’s clear, but the Heat don’t want to overpay, that’s just poor business, so they’re going to be patient, wait for the free agency market to show Hassan Whiteside’s worth and plan accordingly.
But the amount the Heat is willing to pay won’t be decided until after the playoffs, and no contract discussions have even begun, because an extension with Whiteside isn’t permitted until the summer, in accordance with league rules prohibiting extensions for players on two-year contracts.
Not only are teammates much happier with Whiteside than ever before, but Pat Riley approached him recently “and told me how proud he was of me and to keep building on that,” Whiteside said. Heat executive Alonzo Mourning expressed similar sentiments….
“They haven’t talked about [free agency],” he said. “They want to see how far we get this season with this team. Playoffs will speak a lot.I hope [there’s interest]. I like the organization. Pat Riley is always going to do a great job of adding people that are going to help you win. It’s not hard to sell to come to Miami. You can always recruit great talent.”
They can’t talk about this yet but that won’t stop us from talking about it. I can’t wait to see what will happen this summer. Kevin Durant, Hassan Whiteside. Maybe LeBron will make this offseason the most action packed in NBA History?
