NBA Free Agency: One move every team needs to make
By Tom West
Los Angeles Lakers: Take a shot at Hassan Whiteside
The Lakers could throw their money all over the place in free agency. They could be the team to wrongfully max Harrison Barnes, give Bismack Biyombo his pay rise, go after a new star like Hassan Whiteside, or fail to do any of the above and enjoy sitting at home as they sob through the day their envisioned meeting with Kevin Durant could have been.
As of right now, though, Whiteside’s rim protection, rebounding, athleticism, age (27) and improving offensive threat make him the guy to pursue.
In order to start addressing the Lakers’ painful 30th place ranking in defensive efficiency and generally arrive as a potential defensive superstar in the making, Whiteside is the top priority, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne:
"The Los Angeles Lakers plan to aggressively pursue Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside when NBA free agency starts, according to league sources. With rim protection and perimeter shooting ranking as the Lakers’ foremost areas of concern heading into the open market, sources told ESPN that Whiteside has emerged as a priority target."
Even though he can’t switch onto the perimeter as well as some of the NBA’s most versatile defensive centers, the additional explosiveness and pace Whiteside offers over current center Roy Hibbert is remarkably obvious at both ends of the floor. To say he’s an upgrade would be somewhat insulting.
Want to be clear on Hassan Whiteside, he'd like to stay in Miami - they can offer biggest deal, but he's not romantic about it. Its business
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 28, 2016
Plus, while Whiteside’s may be most interested in staying with the Heat on a max contract, he’s approaching free agency with a businessman’s mindset, as many reports indicate.
Asked if he'll stay in Miami if all things are equal. Long pause. "We'll see."
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) June 26, 2016
He isn’t perfect and he won’t fix the Lakers’ many issues. But he has star defensive potential and provides an explosive pick-and-roll target to help out D’Angelo Russell and provide a new interior element to their offense.
There may well be minimal chance of him joining the Lakers and they’ll need to accept that they simply don’t have the draw to free agents they have in the past. But taking a serious shot at Whiteside can’t hurt.
Next: Phoenix Suns