If the Miami Heat want to retain Hassan Whiteside’s services, they better get in line.
There will be plenty of teams who give the shot-blocking, pick-and-roll-finishing, rebounding machine a look in free agency. And the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be among them, per Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler:
There is a sense that Whiteside is one of the top names on the Lakers’ wish list of free agents, with the Celtics also interested. The problem with trying to peg either as having some edge over the other neglects that Whiteside could be the most obtainable free agent in the class and likely gets a lot of interest beyond those two suitors.
Sources also told Kyler that Whiteside is, without question, getting a max deal, which makes the Lakers uniquely dangerous if they’re actually interested.
The Celtics can carve out max space and have a need for a rim-running and -protecting center, but Whiteside doesn’t fit their bill from a spacing or ball movement standpoint. The Heat might be willing to offer him a max deal, but it’ll cost them Luol Deng and every other free agent not named Dwyane Wade to conjure that much spending power.
The Lakers, however, can manufacture two max-contract slots almost without blinking. They don’t even have to cut bait with restricted free agent Jordan Clarkson to get it done.
Theoretically, then, they can hand Whiteside a max pact without even thinking, knowing that they have the money to flesh out the rest of their roster afterward. A frontcourt of Julius Randle and Whiteside would be a spacing nightmare, but the pick-and-rolls head coach Luke Walton could design around Whiteside and D’Angelo Russell/Clarkson would be flames.
Plus, assuming the Lakers add either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram via the draft, they instantly get another above-average perimeter defender to pair with Whiteside.
In other words, keep an eye on Whiteside’s foray into free agency. It should get interesting.
