Hassan Whiteside continues to flourish and the more he comes up with big games, the harder it becomes for the Miami Heat to possibly keep him within their budget.
Whiteside has been a revelation and has become one of the bright spots the Heat have had so far this season. While he does contribute in the scoring and rebounding circle, it is his shot blocking that has continued to leave the Heat and opponents in awe.
Rarely would one see someone come up with triple-doubles where one department would be in blocks (rather than assists) but White has done that easily.
And with that said, Whiteside is without question deserving to be dangled a max contract. Now, the question is whether the Heat will give him one or Whiteside will look at other teams to get the proper pay he deserves.
The easy answer to that is that the Heat will give in and exhaust all means to keep him. It won't be surprising if Heat president Pat Riley ends up trying to convince Whiteside to take a pay-cut so that they can make room for other key players for a possible title-run.
Whiteside could be cornered as well, considering this is the same team that gave him his big break. Will he fall into the same bait which has hindered his teammate, Dwyane Wade, from getting the proper pay he deserves?
These are just some of the scenarios up in the air. But at the end of it all, only Whiteside can decide what is best for him.
He is currently earning about $981,348, but all that is expected to change after this season. He belongs to the elite class of players being offered a max contract, pretty much a deserving one compared to others given for the sake of keeping teams together.
Whiteside has come into his own, and if he ends up pursuing a contract that can give him security, it won't be surprising.
