NBA Trade Rumors: 5 destinations for Hassan Whiteside

Charlotte Hornets

When it comes to situations that work best for Whiteside, the Charlotte Hornets could be an ideal fit. For a start, he’s from North Carolina. As for the Hornets, it’s no secret they could do with looking elsewhere at center now that Al Jefferson isn’t the player he once was and has an expiring contract.

There are a couple of possibilities as to how these teams could exchange the star center.

First, the Heat send Whiteside, Josh McRoberts, Chris Andersen and Luol Deng to Charlotte for Al Jefferson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (and maybe Tyler Hansbrough if the Heat push a hard bargain).

Of course, Jefferson is a downgrade from Whiteside. His injury issues are once again a problem, and after averaging 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game just two seasons ago, he’s fallen off. With that in mind, the Heat may want to let him go after the season and give themselves an extra $13.8 million for free agency when they lose his contract.

Once again, this comes back to the issue of them gauging whether or not they can re-sign Whiteside. If they think he’s leaving, this trade gives them more cap space and one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA in MKG. It’s not too much longer till he will have recovered from his shoulder surgery, and the fact he’s under contact for four more years is another bonus.

Second, the Heat could trade Whiteside, McRoberts and Andersen for Nicolas Batum and Tyler Hansbrough.

In this instance, the Heat land a highly talented and versatile forward in Batum, who can help their struggling offense with both his shooting (15 points per game, 35 three-point percentage) and playmaking (5.4 assists per game). Not to mention, he’s a versatile defender, too. As for Hansbrough, he’s more of an afterthought to the deal of course, but he still brings his typical toughness, rebounding and depth after the Heat part with a few frontcourt players.

The problem here is that the Hornets will have both Whiteside and Jefferson, although they can let the latter go in free agency and use their large amount of cap space (especially after losing Batum’s $13.1 million salary) to offer Whiteside a big contract.

There’s no clear-cut way a deal between these teams should work, but it allows the Hornets to get a new center for their future if free agency goes according to plan and allows the Heat to cash in with Whiteside to make the best of this difficult situation. If they can make something work, both teams can benefit for 2016-17.

Next: Brooklyn Nets