Hassan Whiteside reportedly won’t be leaving the Miami Heat ahead of the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline
One of the most polarizing free agents in the 2016 class is going to be current Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside. While his ability to rebound and block shots is inarguable, there are still plenty of questions about how he affects his team as a whole. Another question as of late, though, has been whether or not the Heat would try to move Whiteside before the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline.
In the interest of not losing Whiteside for nothing in free agency this summer, there has been rampant speculation that the Heat would potentially be interested in trading Whiteside to go ahead an move on from the hyper-athletic big. However, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about Whiteside when talking to the media on Wednesday and vaguely confirmed that the center won’t be going anywhere before the deadline:
There’s actually a lot to unpack in those comments beyond just the fact that Spoelstra and the Heat plan on Whiteside being around for the rest of the season. The most glaring, though, is that the head coach doesn’t say anything about beyond the end of this season when talking about seeing Hassan Whiteside grow.
While that could be nothing, it could also indicate that the Heat are simply ready to let the big man walk in free agency this summer and get nothing in return. If that is the case, that doesn’t speak to highly of Whiteside—but neither do many of the rumblings around the league if we’re being honest.