5 free agent destinations for Hassan Whiteside

1. Los Angeles Lakers

There’s no question that the Los Angeles Lakers are a prime candidate to try and sign virtually any big free agent that hits the market in the summer of 2016 for a number of reasons. For one, they’re projected to have upwards of $60 million in cap space this summer, giving them the ability to sign more than one player to a max contract. Moreover, they’re also a team in dire need of young talent to help sure up the future of the organization.

Make no mistake, the questions about Whiteside as a truly productive and meaningful centerpiece on an NBA team are still wholly valid and don’t magically dissipate just because the Lakers are in dire straits. However, he has shown enough production statistically over the past two seasons in Miami that the Lakers could very well throw a ton of money at him to try and make a splash.

Even more important when thinking about Whiteside and the Lakers is the potential for overcorrection. The Lakers have slogged through this season with the immobile Roy Hibbert at center. With Hibbert leaving, there’s the chance that the front office would be more inclined to favor a young, mobile, athletic big man like Whiteside in free agency.

Whiteside isn’t any less divisive than he is for any other team when it comes to the Lakers, but they seem like a highly likely destination for the big man this summer in free agency as of right now.