One of the bright spots and promising players on the Miami Heat roster is of course Hassan Whiteside. The 26-year-old seven-footer was of course a revelation last year for the Heat, ably performing his role to the letter, mostly on the defensive end.
That performance will of course be amply rewarded for the coming season, Hassan of which is expected to man the slot in the starting lineup.
For now, Whiteside seems comfortable staying in Miami but seeing that his stock is bound to go up probably once his contract ends, there is a chance that he could start asking for bigger pay. It somehow resembles the same issue of Tristan Thompson though their current statuses are pretty much different.
Of course, that scenario is pretty far off but just in case, could the Heat overlook Whiteside in favour of a tempting free agent market next year? (Remember that the Heat are expected to go after Kevin Durant in 2016).
However, don’t the Hornets already have a formidable center in (Big) Al Jefferson?
Jefferson, who opted in this year, will likely be another guy teams will be going after next year. And assuming he stays healthy this year, chances are he will be offered big money as well.
Jefferson has of course proven what he can do, a forced to reckon with when he is 100% healthy. He has had his share of injuries in the past but still, there is no denying that the 31-year-old can be a valuable asset for teams in need of a big man in the middle.
If not, enter the thought of possibly replacing Big Al with Whiteside. Why? Well for one, Hassan is from Gastonia, North Carolina and apparently the 33rd overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft could possibly consider going (and playing back home).
Hassan visited Gastonia recently and apparently he got a pretty warm welcome which somehow indicates that family, friends and the community were pretty much up to date with the milestones that Whiteside has accomplished with the Miami Heat in the NBA.
"It was a moment. I feel like everybody in basketball has moments in a game where they either get a flagrant foul or get into it with somebody. Nobody is perfect. It happened" says Whiteside via the Sun Sentinel
So with that, such could be an option for Whiteside who is expected to get a big raise in salary, possibly $20 million a year.
For this NBA season however, it will be all about trying to improve and helping Miami recover lost glory. After failing to miss the NBA playoffs last season, this year seems to be pretty different.
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