Hassan Whiteside: Road To The Max

[dancing2thabeet]

We will need him against Utah, they're a big team. We should be fine against NYK and PHX withouth him, though.

[3ballbomber]

I don't think I will be able to take it if we lose this guy in FA.

Just max him an forget about it. Guy is a game changer.

Block shots are great, they take points off the board. But, that's not what I like the most. This guy alters everything at the rim. Probably the best help defender in the league.

No lie, Lebron an the cavs (or anyone in the playoffs not named GS)are gonna have a hard time vs us. Lebron hates driving at huge walls like Hibbert, and Whiteside is 10x better.

Add in that Lebron is shooting a league worst in jumpers. Well that's exactly what he is gonna get vs us. A plethora of jumpers with guys like Deng and Justise all over him.

I like our chances.

You can't merely max a guy in fear of him leaving. What are we some chump organization!

Riles will get his way.

Unless we make a significant trade there's no way we win vs Cavs in the playoffs. We may take them to 7 games but i do not see us winning. Lebron will eventually fix his % issues. If Irving gets close to 100% that will be a tough and hungry team. We are hardly peckish as it is.

Full max, not one single penny discounted. If we didnt offer Bosh that, he was gone.
Bosh had Max offers from many teams...
Whiteside will have max offers from many teams...

Pat does not always get his way

I already explained this several weeks ago.....

I reiterate.....This is no where near the same situation. When we paid Bosh it was a direct result of losing EVERYBODY, Lebron, Ray Allen etc. We were left w/ a skeleton of our championship squad. To make things worse Riles signed Granger So in order to not risk being a lottery team and be in rebuild mode for years to come we paid Bosh to keep Miami instantly competitive. And as a result we are closer to being legit contenders than if we had let Bosh go.

Now this Whiteside max situation that people love to prematurely talk about is not even close to the same situation as Bosh because we actually have a very talented team and not even remotely close to desperate as we were when we gave Bosh that amount of money. So yes Riles did get his way because if we had let Bosh walk we wouldn't be where we are today and we would most likely still be building what's left of the team. Hell Wade could have even left.

[3ballbomber]

I don't think I will be able to take it if we lose this guy in FA.

Just max him an forget about it. Guy is a game changer.

Block shots are great, they take points off the board. But, that's not what I like the most. This guy alters everything at the rim. Probably the best help defender in the league.

No lie, Lebron an the cavs (or anyone in the playoffs not named GS)are gonna have a hard time vs us. Lebron hates driving at huge walls like Hibbert, and Whiteside is 10x better.

Add in that Lebron is shooting a league worst in jumpers. Well that's exactly what he is gonna get vs us. A plethora of jumpers with guys like Deng and Justise all over him.

I like our chances.

You can't merely max a guy in fear of him leaving. What are we some chump organization!

Riles will get his way.

Unless we make a significant trade there's no way we win vs Cavs in the playoffs. We may take them to 7 games but i do not see us winning. Lebron will eventually fix his % issues. If Irving gets close to 100% that will be a tough and hungry team. We are hardly peckish as it is.

your assuming the cavs will be healthy...

i'm also assuming that we will be healthy because if not then there's no way we even go to 2nd round let alone ECF if one of our pieces is out.

[gom]

You can't merely max a guy in fear of him leaving. What are we some chump organization!

Riles will get his way.

... (snip)

... (snip)
Pat does not always get his way

I already explained this several weeks ago.....

I reiterate.....This is no where near the same situation.

Your explanation shows an impressive disregard for the market and the realities of our team.

The salary cap increased 11% last year to an all-time high of $70 million and the tax level by 10.3% to $84.74 million. With the salary cap now going to $89 million (A 27% INCREASE). If you do the math (it's done in the article if you follow the link) you find that the 30 teams have $1.4 billion to spend on players:

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/10/16/9529643/nba-free-agency-2016-salary-cap-space-billions

Everyone wants to sign Kevin Durant and the teams that think they have a chance (NYK, WAS, OKC, HOU, DAL, LAL, and maybe others) will clear out space to make it happen. Outside of Durant, though, where will the money be spent? This article gives a good rundown of the market.

http://hoopshype.com/2015/12/10/nba-free-agency-2016-the-top-players/

If you scratch Durant and assume that the players that are restricted will be signed by their teams (many maxed out), the options for players to add become depressingly few. One of the best, however, is Hassan Whiteside, and he will get max offers.

Now, the question becomes should Riley offer him the max. I understand you disagree. I think this is insane. Hassan coming to our team is a godsend.

We got three things out of last year's **** season: Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, and Justise Winslow (10th). You can argue that Josh Richardson was also a great find, but we haven't seen much yet, so I'm withholding judgment.

If you analyze a team from a resource point of view you find a few interesting equations:

(1) Winning generally increases the value of all your resources (because teams that play better have better statistics generally for their players PLUS GMs want to hire winners).
(2) Losing gets you better draft picks.
(3) Resources all have costs associated (roster space, salary, opportunity cost)

You have only a few ways to create assets from nothing:

(1) trade for players of depressed value and resuscitate them (Rondo on the Kings)
(2) hire players from the d-league (Whiteside/Johnson,Galloway...)
(3) the draft

Our draft is more or less shot for a few years. Assuming we give the 76ers our pick this year we have alternating picks for years to pay for Dragic. There are only a few players from the D-League in any year who become NBA players. Most do not.

Hassan Whiteside, thus, is one of our most important assets. We will have invested two seasons of basketball coaching, training, conditioning, etc to make him an excellent player. Giving him away is the height of lunacy. Even if he were not in our plans (which he should be) we should sign him anyhow because signed he is more valuable than not. If he plays another great season next year, the man is worth two first round picks or more by himself. BUT... He also might help give us something more valuable. He might help give us another championship.

Can you imagine explaining to Wade & Bosh & Dragic how we couldn't pay him?

**** that. Pay the man.

[3ballbomber]

I like the way you back your argument, Gom. I can't knock it. But i have more than conveyed my thoughts on this entire Hassan Max talk. I will continue to stick to the stance that Riles will get him to sign for a price everybody can agree on. I'm sure Heat org could simply just pay him the max to keep him but is that really the way Riles and head office wants to operate w/ the potential to sign somebody such as KD or other names? I don't think so. They will sit down, talk and negotiate - that is right up Riles alley. That is his specialty where he has shown profound magnificence.

Only the offseason will show us the answer to this entire thing. Everybody can throw me their 'i told you so's' if i'm proven wrong. I'm quite confident something will be negotiated that everybody will be happy with.

[Hoops23]

giving a player a max contract for the reason the salary cap goes up by a large amount next season is BS..
A player should be paid from what he is worth and what is due, unless of big reasons like what happen to the Bosh situation....
Whiteside salary should be somewhere what Draymond Green is earning. He's not in the category of Lebron or Durant.

If Miami gives Whiteside the max next season, it kills the chance to add another big name free agent, then same roster, same result, same playoff team...

I'm not content with this current roster, I want more, I want Miami back to the finals...

[gom]

giving a player a max contract for the reason the salary cap goes up by a large amount next season is BS..
A player should be paid from what he is worth and what is due, unless of big reasons like what happen to the Bosh situation....
Whiteside salary should be somewhere what Draymond Green is earning. He's not in the category of Lebron or Durant.

If Miami gives Whiteside the max next season, it kills the chance to add another big name free agent, then same roster, same result, same playoff team...

I'm not content with this current roster, I want more, I want Miami back to the finals...

Signing Whiteside for a 4 year max becomes a great deal if he progresses as expected:

$20,956,973 (1st year - 2016/2017) (23.5% of salary cap $89,000,000)
$21,900,037 (2nd year - 2017/2018) (20.2% of salary cap $108,000,000)
$22,885,539 (3rd year - 2018/2019) (22.9% of salary cap $100,000,000)
$23,915,388 (4th year - 2019/2020) (23.4% of salary cap $102,000,000)

Notice because of the changing salary cap, Whiteside's salary actually declines relative to other players receiving max contracts. By the way, the same is true (to a greater extent even) with Bosh and his max contract (as well as Dragic's contract). With the salary cap increasing all players are discounted. It will be this way until 2018 when the decline occurs.

Salary cap info from here:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12711616/teams-told-nba-salary-cap-hit-100m-2017-18-season

Now, let's think about what you've said.

"Giving a player a max contract for the reason the salary cap goes up by a large amount next season is BS.."

That's not what anyone is saying. It's a competitive market with few resources ("a seller's market"). Whiteside's play dictates his demand and he's been excellent. He'll receive max offers from several teams because of his performance and the scarcity of his skills in the market.

"A player should be paid from what he is worth and what is due, unless of big reasons like what happen to the Bosh situation...."

Ok, two things here:

1. "what he is worth and what is due" is dictated by the market, not be fans who have no concept of the economics of the NBA. The fact is (as you must know) players and owners divide the revenue collected. Thus, players are due exactly their share (about half) and if the salary cap is going up, players will expect to be paid that amount (collectively). Anything else, to put it impolitely, is a screwing.

2. Also, Bosh's situation's "big reason" as you say is that (a) the market was willing to pay him the salary we paid (we gave him five years though) and (b) he's worth every penny. His contract actually looks ridiculously CHEAP at this point:

$29,339,763 (Bosh's max of 35% of $89,000,000 if he signed for 2016-7 instead of in 2014-5)
$35,603,308 (Bosh's max of 35% of $108,000,000 if he signed in 2017-8 instead of 2014-5)

Again. Chris Bosh's contract is good.

Dragic's is ridiculously good.

This is *why* Lebron is signing one year deals. It's time to adjust your perception.

[Hoops23]

2016 free agent centers:
1. Howard 2. Al Horford 2. Noah 3. Festus Azeli 4. Mozgov 5. Speights 6. Al Jefferson 7. Hibbert 8. Nene 9. Zeller 10. Plumlee

I believe if KD choose the Heat, then Whiteside is gone if he will not accept the remainder of the cap space. Then Miami select one of those free agent centers.

Signing Whiteside for a 4 year max becomes a great deal if he progresses as expected:

$20,956,973 (1st year - 2016/2017) (23.5% of salary cap $89,000,000)
$21,900,037 (2nd year - 2017/2018) (20.2% of salary cap $108,000,000)
$22,885,539 (3rd year - 2018/2019) (22.9% of salary cap $100,000,000)
$23,915,388 (4th year - 2019/2020) (23.4% of salary cap $102,000,000)

If the cap goes up at the said projected $88.8m, Miami has a cap space around $40m for next season and deduct that $20.9m you mentioned to Whiteside salary and the cap hold of 2 players, Heat is left around $18m to resign Wade and a 2nd tier free agent... Same roster, same result, same playoff team...

Notice because of the changing salary cap, Whiteside's salary actually declines relative to other players receiving max contracts. By the way, the same is true (to a greater extent even) with Bosh and his max contract (as well as Dragic's contract). With the salary cap increasing all players are discounted. It will be this way until 2018 when the decline occurs.

I dont think this is an argument coz there are players who are sign to max in the past and considered underpaid now coz the increases in max salary and salary cap.
You're talking about the future here that someday a player sign to a max today will be considered non-max salary. Thats very common. This is about the now, and the point is, Heat needs help to get back to the finals, and Whiteside alone is not the answer.

That's not what anyone is saying. It's a competitive market with few resources ("a seller's market"). Whiteside's play dictates his demand and he's been excellent. He'll receive max offers from several teams because of his performance and the scarcity of his skills in the market.

Are you saying, since he gets max contract offer to other teams, Heat "should" give him that even his talent is not worth that much but the market says??? So you're not in favor of letting him go and use the cap space to one or two other free agents worth their talent, and not because the market say so? Heat are not in the same situation in 2014 this coming off-season when they were force to resign Bosh wherein not much of talent left when Bron left..

If Whiteside can dictate his value if he will receive offers to other teams like Bosh in the past. That hinders signing another super star player. Heat remains the same team with Wade and Bosh getting older, with draft picks forwarded to Phoenix.. That is sad, just a playoff team. I doubt that Riley will accept that given his aspirations and desires for winnings and championships.

Very good for Whiteside if he gets a fat contract with the Heat but am sad for Miami coz they remain the same team.

I dont want the Heat just a playoff team. I want other teams respect as they were in the past and likewise the desire as free agent destination coz they know Riley is about winnings/championships. I trust Riley and I believe he will use the cap space well.

[3ballbomber]

I doubt that Riley will accept that given his aspirations and desires for winnings and championships.

Very good for Whiteside if he gets a fat contract with the Heat but am sad for Miami coz they remain the same team.

I dont want the Heat just a playoff team. I want other teams respect as they were in the past and likewise the desire as free agent destination coz they know Riley is about winnings/championships. I trust Riley and I believe he will use the cap space well.

Why i believe we will not give Hassan Max. Riles will do all he can, if not even more w/ Wade's limited years and also his as GM, to build a true contender. We currently have a playoff team not a championship caliber team. Hassan hasn't even sniffed the playoffs, it's only his 1st full season in the league and still has alot to learn. It was only not too long ago Wade was criticizing his negative attitude on the bench when he wasn't playing the 4th Q's. We need much more than Whiteside to defeat the Cavs let alone who ever comes out of the West.

Riles will craft this perfectly, he'll speak words of magic and enchantment and have everybody significant back signed w/ room for a big name. What you guys are actually doubting the GodFather at this moment of time in his career?! He may not replicate 2010 but he may come close to it. All this max talk will end up proving to be futile.

[RexBoyWonder]

Spoiler:

giving a player a max contract for the reason the salary cap goes up by a large amount next season is BS..
A player should be paid from what he is worth and what is due, unless of big reasons like what happen to the Bosh situation....
Whiteside salary should be somewhere what Draymond Green is earning. He's not in the category of Lebron or Durant.

If Miami gives Whiteside the max next season, it kills the chance to add another big name free agent, then same roster, same result, same playoff team...

I'm not content with this current roster, I want more, I want Miami back to the finals...

Signing Whiteside for a 4 year max becomes a great deal if he progresses as expected:

$20,956,973 (1st year - 2016/2017) (23.5% of salary cap $89,000,000)
$21,900,037 (2nd year - 2017/2018) (20.2% of salary cap $108,000,000)
$22,885,539 (3rd year - 2018/2019) (22.9% of salary cap $100,000,000)
$23,915,388 (4th year - 2019/2020) (23.4% of salary cap $102,000,000)

Notice because of the changing salary cap, Whiteside's salary actually declines relative to other players receiving max contracts. By the way, the same is true (to a greater extent even) with Bosh and his max contract (as well as Dragic's contract). With the salary cap increasing all players are discounted. It will be this way until 2018 when the decline occurs.

Salary cap info from here:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12711616/teams-told-nba-salary-cap-hit-100m-2017-18-season

Now, let's think about what you've said.

"Giving a player a max contract for the reason the salary cap goes up by a large amount next season is BS.."

That's not what anyone is saying. It's a competitive market with few resources ("a seller's market"). Whiteside's play dictates his demand and he's been excellent. He'll receive max offers from several teams because of his performance and the scarcity of his skills in the market.

"A player should be paid from what he is worth and what is due, unless of big reasons like what happen to the Bosh situation...."

Ok, two things here:

1. "what he is worth and what is due" is dictated by the market, not be fans who have no concept of the economics of the NBA. The fact is (as you must know) players and owners divide the revenue collected. Thus, players are due exactly their share (about half) and if the salary cap is going up, players will expect to be paid that amount (collectively). Anything else, to put it impolitely, is a screwing.

2. Also, Bosh's situation's "big reason" as you say is that (a) the market was willing to pay him the salary we paid (we gave him five years though) and (b) he's worth every penny. His contract actually looks ridiculously CHEAP at this point:

$29,339,763 (Bosh's max of 35% of $89,000,000 if he signed for 2016-7 instead of in 2014-5)
$35,603,308 (Bosh's max of 35% of $108,000,000 if he signed in 2017-8 instead of 2014-5)

Again. Chris Bosh's contract is good.

Dragic's is ridiculously good.

This is *why* Lebron is signing one year deals. It's time to adjust your perception.

Spoiler:

[RexBoyWonder]

The simple truth is - If we don't get Durant, there's nobody worth losing Hassan for.
And we're not getting Durant.

And the thinking that if we don't add a superstar = same team - it's totally false.

1. CHEMISTRY. It means a ton. almost all great teams are playing together for a few years. habits build winning.

2. growth from within : Half are rotation is going to get better because they're still learning : TJ, Winslow, Hassan himself, J-Rich, maybe Stokes. Wade will decline and Bosh and Dragic will stay the same.

3. Not all meaningful additions need to be superstars. If we can keep Hassan and add someone like :

Evan Fournier
Batum
Chandler Parsons
Ryan Anderson
Arron Afflalo

Non are huge names, but all are good shooters that can provide what we need and help balance the team and make us click even stronger.

[HIF]

Whiteside, Winslow, TJ

That is the core of a great team for our future. We MUST keep all 3.

[eddieheatfan]

The simple truth is - If we don't get Durant, there's nobody worth losing Hassan for.
And we're not getting Durant.

And the thinking that if we don't add a superstar = same team - it's totally false.

1. CHEMISTRY. It means a ton. almost all great teams are playing together for a few years. habits build winning.

2. growth from within : Half are rotation is going to get better because they're still learning : TJ, Winslow, Hassan himself, J-Rich, maybe Stokes. Wade will decline and Bosh and Dragic will stay the same.

3. Not all meaningful additions need to be superstars. If we can keep Hassan and add someone like :

Evan Fournier
Batum
Chandler Parsons
Ryan Anderson
Arron Afflalo

Non are huge names, but all are good shooters that can provide what we need and help balance the team and make us click even stronger.

i will add that this team needs a couple of 3 point specialists because they can make the difference from winning a game by blowing it out or coming back from being blown out ourselves.good role players that compliment boshi and a change in how the team is coached

[Bishop45]

3. Not all meaningful additions need to be superstars. If we can keep Hassan and add someone

I like it.

[Rock Hardy]

artifact in the sport?

the reason small ball worked is because the league had no good centers so there was no penalty to going small. we got a legit center. not just some big bodied bum. he's not an artifact.

You can read the market signs or trend to irrelevance. THIS IS A GUARD'S LEAGUE. Prove me wrong. It's been trending this way since the Jordan days. Shaq was an anomaly and Whiteside ain't no bleeping Shaq. Not even a declining 06-08 Shaq.

I'm not getting lost in the stats sauce like some people. Whiteside is padding the numbers he can in a contract year, but his overall impact doesn't match his statistical output. What does that tell you? Personal stats aren't going to make us a contender. I want to win the East, not just have an all-star center. We have two perennial all-star players already. It means nothing. My best years as a Heat fan was when we were winning the East and contending for titles. That's all I care about. If we can't make a significant splash this postseason with Whiteside putting up these kinds of numbers, then I don't want us killing our cap to max him. I'll hate every game of that contract when teams are buying us from the wings. IMO, or best defender is still Winslow, numbers be damned. He impacts a much larger area of the court, and he spends more minutes limiting the players who actually do damage, wings and points. Teams have already proven that they can best us by staying out of the paint and killing us from the outside. Whiteside has a long way to go before he proves he can consistently help us against that kind of attack. Even teams like the Spurs will just move the ball all over the place to neutralize him. Bosh is our best center. I say build around him. Use that Whiteside money to get some shooting here and add potent offense to our more than competent defense. Just looking at roster composition, Whiteside is the oddball. The fit isn't there. Credit to Spo for shoehorning him in, but I don't think it's an accommodation we need to make. The only reason I'd pay him is to use him as a trade piece. I don't want any parts of that Whiteside-sponsored treadmill. Realtalk.

[gom]

2016 free agent centers:
1. Howard 2. Al Horford 2. Noah 3. Festus Azeli 4. Mozgov 5. Speights 6. Al Jefferson 7. Hibbert 8. Nene 9. Zeller 10. Plumlee

I believe if KD choose the Heat, then Whiteside is gone if he will not accept the remainder of the cap space. Then Miami select one of those free agent centers.

Signing Whiteside for a 4 year max becomes a great deal if he progresses as expected:

$20,956,973 (1st year - 2016/2017) (23.5% of salary cap $89,000,000)
$21,900,037 (2nd year - 2017/2018) (20.2% of salary cap $108,000,000)
$22,885,539 (3rd year - 2018/2019) (22.9% of salary cap $100,000,000)
$23,915,388 (4th year - 2019/2020) (23.4% of salary cap $102,000,000)

If the cap goes up at the said projected $88.8m, Miami has a cap space around $40m for next season and deduct that $20.9m you mentioned to Whiteside salary and the cap hold of 2 players, Heat is left around $18m to resign Wade and a 2nd tier free agent... Same roster, same result, same playoff team...

Notice because of the changing salary cap, Whiteside's salary actually declines relative to other players receiving max contracts. By the way, the same is true (to a greater extent even) with Bosh and his max contract (as well as Dragic's contract). With the salary cap increasing all players are discounted. It will be this way until 2018 when the decline occurs.

I dont think this is an argument coz there are players who are sign to max in the past and considered underpaid now coz the increases in max salary and salary cap.
You're talking about the future here that someday a player sign to a max today will be considered non-max salary. Thats very common. This is about the now, and the point is, Heat needs help to get back to the finals, and Whiteside alone is not the answer.

That's not what anyone is saying. It's a competitive market with few resources ("a seller's market"). Whiteside's play dictates his demand and he's been excellent. He'll receive max offers from several teams because of his performance and the scarcity of his skills in the market.

Are you saying, since he gets max contract offer to other teams, Heat "should" give him that even his talent is not worth that much but the market says??? So you're not in favor of letting him go and use the cap space to one or two other free agents worth their talent, and not because the market say so? Heat are not in the same situation in 2014 this coming off-season when they were force to resign Bosh wherein not much of talent left when Bron left..

If Whiteside can dictate his value if he will receive offers to other teams like Bosh in the past. That hinders signing another super star player. Heat remains the same team with Wade and Bosh getting older, with draft picks forwarded to Phoenix.. That is sad, just a playoff team. I doubt that Riley will accept that given his aspirations and desires for winnings and championships.

Very good for Whiteside if he gets a fat contract with the Heat but am sad for Miami coz they remain the same team.

I dont want the Heat just a playoff team. I want other teams respect as they were in the past and likewise the desire as free agent destination coz they know Riley is about winnings/championships. I trust Riley and I believe he will use the cap space well.

Don't you understand a floating salary scale? It's not just Whiteside's salary that is going up. Every player now will compare themselves to the market rate and increasing salary cap and ask why they aren't getting more. You do the same yourself I'm sure. Why work for $10 an hour when the guy in the next office does the same job and makes $25?

If you don't sign Whiteside you have 40 million to spend on Wade and maybe someone like Batum (who will demand a salary around Whiteside's because other teams will offer $$$ to him too). That's not a better team.

The market is the same for everyone. There is no magic trick you can use to have a special side market. Adjust your focus.

[Bourne85]

A treadmill is what we really will be on if Whiteside walks and we never had a shot at Durant.

Keep messing around an we will be irrelevant.

Pay Hassan an hope to sign someone like Batum and hope that becomes something great with ball movement and depth ala Spurs.

Don't always have to have a top 3 player you know. Not many teams are that fortunate.

Dragic
Wade
Batum
Bosh
Whiteside

I can roll with that. Lebron is declining hard and Cavs will soon see that window shut. The Bulls are weak the Raptors don't stand a chance. Celtics and these up an coming east teams are still years away. The time to sneak in another title is now.

Although I agree we stand no chance vs Spurs or Warriors at this point. Not even the Cavs do. It is what it is. They still gotta beat us 4 times.

Cavs are beatable. They aren't anything near what we were. A lot of that has to do with Lebron declining, and defense.

Lebron an the Cavs have already named us as the biggest threat to them in the east. And that is because of Whiteside interior D. Where James makes his living. James will have to live on the perimeter vs us, against Deng and Justise. He is already shooting a league WORST % from outside the paint. Irving is a walking injury and love couldn't dream to compete with Bosh.

If we lose Hassan just forget about competing for the next several years. And stop bringing up KD, the dude AINT coming. He has NO connection to us. I'm not even sure how this ridiculous rumor started. You guys think because we landed the big 3 we are now always gonna land the top FA? That fantasy world must be nice

[RexBoyWonder]

artifact in the sport?

the reason small ball worked is because the league had no good centers so there was no penalty to going small. we got a legit center. not just some big bodied bum. he's not an artifact.

You can read the market signs or trend to irrelevance. THIS IS A GUARD'S LEAGUE. Prove me wrong. It's been trending this way since the Jordan days. Shaq was an anomaly and Whiteside ain't no bleeping Shaq. Not even a declining 06-08 Shaq.

I'm not getting lost in the stats sauce like some people. Whiteside is padding the numbers he can in a contract year, but his overall impact doesn't match his statistical output. What does that tell you? Personal stats aren't going to make us a contender. I want to win the East, not just have an all-star center. We have two perennial all-star players already. It means nothing. My best years as a Heat fan was when we were winning the East and contending for titles. That's all I care about. If we can't make a significant splash this postseason with Whiteside putting up these kinds of numbers, then I don't want us killing our cap to max him. I'll hate every game of that contract when teams are buying us from the wings. IMO, or best defender is still Winslow, numbers be damned. He impacts a much larger area of the court, and he spends more minutes limiting the players who actually do damage, wings and points. Teams have already proven that they can best us by staying out of the paint and killing us from the outside. Whiteside has a long way to go before he proves he can consistently help us against that kind of attack. Even teams like the Spurs will just move the ball all over the place to neutralize him. Bosh is our best center. I say build around him. Use that Whiteside money to get some shooting here and add potent offense to our more than competent defense. Just looking at roster composition, Whiteside is the oddball. The fit isn't there. Credit to Spo for shoehorning him in, but I don't think it's an accommodation we need to make. The only reason I'd pay him is to use him as a trade piece. I don't want any parts of that Whiteside-sponsored treadmill. Realtalk.

Like you said, even if someone doesn't believe Hassan fits here or can play a key role in us contending - keeping him is still the right move because if he'll keep progressing + putting up monster stats = someone will make us a great trade offer for him.

So worse case we decide down the line Bosh at Center and smallball is the way to go - you trade Hassan for a top 5 pick and a expiring vet, and draft that high upside wing of the future. Or trade him for a young rising player. But you get value for him, high value.

[Bourne85]

Agree with Rex as well. The main point is to make sure we RESIGN him. Letting an asset like that just walk off is a huge no no.

[Hoops23]

Don't you understand a floating salary scale? It's not just Whiteside's salary that is going up. Every player now will compare themselves to the market rate and increasing salary cap and ask why they aren't getting more. You do the same yourself I'm sure.

you brought up a salary increase that is why I told you that its normal in the NBA that someday a max contract becomes non-max coz of the increases in salary cap. The floating scale is not an issue to whiteside if he deserve max money or not. You said, its the market who dictates.

Why work for $10 an hour when the guy in the next office does the same job and makes $25?

Of course if I'm Lebron and making $10 an hour and see Durant earning $25 that will be bad for me. But if you're Whiteside seeing Lebron/KD earning the max, would you be jealous?? Or if I'm Whiteside earning same salary as Draymond Green who's stats are not far apart his and thats what I'm really worth, even though the market would say I can earn more than that, would I be jealous if I know I'm in a better situation or team that suit my game & there is no state tax, knowing that I wasn't successful in other teams before (Kings)??
.. But that's not exactly the point for Miami, the Heat will decide, if they agree on Whiteside's demand or go to other options.. Heat has a lot of options, not just Whiteside. Few years ago, the Heat let Mourning sign with the Nets. Its not the same situation before but its still the same when it comes to priorities and for the better good of the team.

If you don't sign Whiteside you have 40 million to spend on Wade and maybe someone like Batum (who will demand a salary around Whiteside's because other teams will offer $$$ to him too). That's not a better team.

The market is the same for everyone. There is no magic trick you can use to have a special side market. Adjust your focus.

That's not a better team coz you pick the wrong option. Do not pick wrong players or moves just to convince us that Whiteside is the best option. What if I choose KD and one of the free agent centers I mentioned, would you still say its not a better team with Whiteside & his salary who's according to you will be max even his talent doesn't match it because the market says so??
Wade will not earn same starting salary of $20m next season, booked it and you can quote me on that.

Do not bring up the market side, I agree most of it except for the fact Riley made his magic in 2010 wherein almost everyone says you cannot have all of Bron, DW & Bosh with Heat's cap space then.

The point I'm saying is, the market may say Whiteside is worth the max, but should the Heat give him the max even though that salary doesn't much his talent or go to other free agents with their cap space?

You're making it sound that the "only option" is bring back whiteside even if he ask for max contract.