Miami Heat President Pat Riley has reiterated that he intends to retain Hassan Whiteside at all cost, but that still depends on whether or not he can afford to give the shot-blocking demon a max contract.
Skimming through the salary budget of the team, there will be casualties if he is to offer Whiteside a max contract. So the logical thing that could turn out is that Riley tries to reason with Whiteside and convince him to forego a long overdue payday. He has done it before and Dwyane Wade is testament to that.
Whiteside would likely consider it since it was the Heat who gave him a big break. But moving forward, the seven-footer may want to consider the fact that his season performance places him along the ranks of players who deserve a big payday.
Of course, a National Basketball Association (NBA) title is important but with the Heat's current crop, it would be safe to say that they are not 100% sure of snagging another NBA title soon. More tweaks are needed and the longer he waits, the more he deprives himself of that fat paycheck and opportunity to be a franchise player.
With the Lakers, Whiteside could be the pillar that holds it all. He fits in perfectly with the likes of Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, and Larry Nance Jr., obviously the only missing link that could account for the Lakers' starting five of the future.
This is with the understanding that all the names mentioned are still onboard by the offseason. The Lakers are walking on a thin line with that one, especially with Byron Scott still around.
Scott has not done anything close to developing the young core, sticking by his philosophy that is, apparently, not working and reaping anything.
All that aside, Whiteside could be a perfect fit to the young core and continue the club's legacy of holding key big men of the future. Remember Shaquille O' Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Whiteside could be the next "big thing"!
