SOURCES: Portland a landing spot for Hassan Whiteside?

[DusterBuster]

https://twitter.com/nbadraftnet/status/746080215458189312

"Interesting free agent nugget. Hearing from sources close to Hassan Whiteside. Portland will push hard for him, possible landing spot."

Real interest or maybe just an agent trying to put pressure on Miami?

[SK21209]

Seems like it would be a great fit for him if true. If they pull this off they'd arguably be as good or better than they were with Wes, Aldridge, and Batum before their injuries imo.

[Devilzsidewalk]

Portland and many others I'd imagine - he should have no shortage of suitors

[jowglenn]

Real interest. Portland has thrown max offers at centers year after year and the guys wanted to come but they were all RFAs and got matched.

Whiteside is a UFA and they will be dropping an insane amount of cash on him. He gets to play with a much younger more promising squad.

[I beg to differ]

This just in: Portland will try to do what many teams will try to do.

[primopastalove2]

Can't wait to see heat fans reaction to Whiteside leaving.

[DayofMourning]

Can't wait to see heat fans reaction to Whiteside leaving.

Well, hopefully you'll be waiting for another 5 years or so.

[John Murdoch]

He'd be somewhat messed up if he left seeing how Miami basically gave him a chance and supported him

[HotRocks34]

That Portland team could get dangerous real quick.

[Nolan]

A lot of teams are going to push hard for him. He might be the best big on the market and a lot teams need what he brings.

[Upperclass]

This was mentioned alot during the Warriors series.. would love to see this guy in a blazers uni. The triumvirate of lillard, mcollum and Whiteside would be amazing for the NBA and give fans another upcoming and contender.

IMO, Portland is one of the few places in the league, where Whiteside would stay plugged in and reach his massive potential. In that environment, with the blazer's youthful leadership I think he would feel apart of the process vs being just another piece, like he is currently in Miami

[Kurtz]

He excelled in a slow system. Can he do as well in an extremely fast-paced system?

[dc]

He's likely the #2 FA on the market. I'm sure anyone with cap space (lots of teams) will be interested in him.

[MotownMadness]

That would be awesome spot for him

[Disabled Sports]

i would advise all teams to think twice about giving a big contract because there is a very good chance that he will never live up to the expectations of the contract. Due to the fact that Whiteside has fooled casual fans and/or organizations into thinking that he is a good defender just because he is good at blocking shots when in reality he has been more of a liability. For instance, when Whiteside is forced to defend a pick and roll he refuses to come out pass the free throw line because one would think that he feels that he isn't quick enough to get back to the basket in time to contest a potential shot at the rim. Which forces the guard who is caught in the pick and roll to make a decision on whether to stay with his man or go to cover the player who is going to pop and in both scenarios it would lead to a wide open long two or a three point shot. Furthermore, when Whiteside is playing Defense in the low post he tends to easily surrender ground to the big man he is defending because he does not have as big of a body frame as other big men. Which means that he has to waste more energy than he wants to if he hopes to stop a big man from scoring as a result, he will choose certain spots to focus on stopping the big man. This is because he knows he must preserve his energy to focus on what he is great at which is blocking shots and rebounding that requires spending a lot of energy jumping.

Not only is Hassan Whiteside a severely flawed defensive player, he also is a one-dimensional offensive player as well. Due to the fact that he was almost exclusively involved in pick and roll plays with the Miami Heat where he would set a screen for a guard at the top of the key. Once the guard accepts the screen he will roll to the basket to wait for a lob or get the offensive rebound. Unfortunately once Whiteside signs his new contract this off-season there will be a new level of expectations placed on him by the media and fans which is unfair because that is the player he has been for the past two years.
http://disabledsports.sportsblog.com/posts/20361779/hassan-whiteside-will-not-live-up-to-max-contract-expectations.html

[GooniesNeverDie]

from whiteside's snapchat, he loves Miami.. as long as the Heat offer him a max, he isn't leaving

[Spens1]

from whiteside's snapchat, he loves Miami.. as long as the Heat offer him a max, he isn't leaving

Wasn't there a story of pat Riley trying to low ball him and offer less than the max

[Devilzsidewalk]

He'd be somewhat messed up if he left seeing how Miami basically gave him a chance and supported him

I can't blame him - he's 27 and this is probably his one and only major NBA contract. If the Heat go too far in trying to get him at a discount, then it's understandable if he leaves. But allucanheat.com brought up 2 wildcards the Heat have - the 7.5% annual raises and no state income tax, so they should be able to pull this off if they really want him back.

[rasta_marley]

I'm worried about Whiteside but if he decides he's interested in Portland we should go after him hard and give him what he wants. After that just hope that he does well.

[Cavaliers2]

What exactly is the Heat's plan to offer him the max? Don't they need to clear cap space to do it?