NBA Trade Rumors: 5 destinations for Hassan Whiteside

New Orleans Pelicans

This suggestion is an interesting one, so wait a second. If the Heat realistically think that Whiteside is going to walk in free agency, there is even less of a reason to keep him now — besides the fact they aren’t going far in the playoffs and the numbers reveal they can cope without him.

So, for the sake of considering the options that are out there, let’s look at a potential trade of Whiteside for Ryan Anderson of the Pelicans.

This idea doesn’t come from absolutely no where. On his podcast, The Lowe Post, Zach Lowe has discussed the Whiteside dilemma with Brian Windhorst of ESPN. When looking into the Heat’s situation with their soon-to-be max player, Windhorst raised the suggestion of Tom Haberstroh (one of the best basketball writers out there), to say that going after Anderson could be a worthy possibility:

"The reason that that would appeal to the Heat would be that Ryan Anderson is on an ending contract and maybe he floor spaces with you, and you just have Bosh to play center, and then you don’t affect your salary cap and Pat Riley’s dreams of making another move. If you’re the Pelicans you have an Anthony Davis-Hassan Whiteside rim protection machine."

The problem here for the Pelicans is that they already have a bunch of centers on their roster such as Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca. So, while there is depth, it’s not good depth, and Whiteside immediately gives them a serious upgrade. And as Windhorst pointed out, the imposing, shot-swatting duo of Whiteside and Davis would strike fear into any opponents attempting to drive to the basket.

As the Pelicans already have plenty of frontcourt players, the money becomes an issue. They have the 10th highest expected salary in the NBA for next season (per Hoops Hype), with Asik set to make $11 million and Ajinca set to make $4.6 million. Whether they make a trade to clear cap space or settle for limited room for other moves in free agency, signing Whiteside to a max contract this summer will limit them.

However, if they can make the correct adjustments, it goes without saying that Whiteside would be a serious improvement ahead of their other centers trying to help Davis.

It’s a little hard to see this one happening because of how the Pelicans will have to rework their roster in the summer and create enough cap space and clear their frontcourt for Whiteside’s future. As Windhorst and Lowe discussed, though, it could be an option that at least lands the Heat with another great stretch big man to space the floor with Bosh, who should be more willing to re-sign with a team like Miami who have a better postseason shot than the Pelicans.

That being said, this move looks better for the Pelicans than it does the Heat if they can re-sign Whiteside, knowing that he can be part of what should be an upcoming franchise next to a star like Davis. Maybe if Miami have enough financial motivation to do this and bring in Anderson, this can be one of their backup options.

Next: Charlotte Hornets