It’s looking even bleaker than expected for the Miami Heat fans who want Hassan Whiteside to keep his talents in South Beach.
In a radio interview yesterday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com said that the Dallas Mavericks will be getting the first meeting with Whiteside when the clock hits 12:01 a.m on July 1st. He noted, “It’s not like the Mavericks have had a ton of success in free agency recently,” which just points to the fact that Mark Cuban is on the edge of his seat waiting to make a big splash this offseason.
The 7-footer said he met with Pat Riley a couple of weeks ago and concluded that the meeting went well. But Whiteside has made it clear that he does not want to be lowballed by the Heat.
In regards to the the question of will the Mavericks pay Hassan the max?
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“Absolutely, no questions asked. The financial negotiations with the Mavericks will take all of one second. Max. One second max for the max,” MacMahon stated emphatically.
Based on what MacMahon has heard, the Mavericks are pushing the max offer immediately because Whiteside has a long list of suitors waiting behind them. The Los Angeles Lakers have been making headlines after being rumored to be making a strong push for Hassan along with the Portland Trail Blazers.
“If you’re going to try and recruit Hassan Whiteside you can haggle about money, but he’s gonna cross you off his list and move on,” said MacMahon.
This is exactly the scenario that the Heat are fearful of. They are going to be stretched extremely thin while trying to gauge the interest of Kevin Durant and making sure Dwyane Wade isn’t seriously considering offers from other teams.
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If they come to Whiteside with an offer that he can scoff at it may be game over. Whiteside said on Snapchat last week, “I am a businessman who plays basketball.” And this time, Riley’s sweet-talking might not be enough for Whiteside because he is hungry to cash in his first big check.
Whiteside made less than a million dollars for each of the past two years and is about to get the biggest raise of his life. If he insists on signing the contract north of $20 million dollars, the Heat might be forced to let him walk.
Apparently just telling Whiteside that he’s the No. 1 offseason priority for the Heat isn’t going to be enough for Riley. He’s gonna have to pay up or watch that 7-foot frame skip out the door.
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