- Report: Jae Crowder has been in contact with the Miami Heat
- Brian Windhorst says LeBron James was ‘never totally comfortable’ in Miami like he is in Los Angeles
- Tyler Herro says he doesn’t care if he gets traded but states he wants to stay with Miami Heat
- Tyler Herro offers clear warning to rest of league, including a special message for Jimmy Butler
- Tyler Herro opens up on playoff struggles last season: ‘I think part of it had to do with finding out I’m having another kid’
- Report: Jamal Crawford set to replace Dwyane Wade in coveted ‘NBA on TNT’ role
- Miami Heat can still take big leap this season with internal improvement from 6 players
- Oregon’s offensive coordinator blames LeBron James for player movement in high school: ‘They wanna be on a super team’
- Udonis Haslem confirms this season is his ‘last ride’
- Kyle Lowry’s honest admission about Pat Riley’s comments that he needs to be in better shape
Miami Heat News: Hassan Whiteside Officially Picks Up $27.1M Player Option
- Updated: June 21, 2019
One of the least surprising storylines of the NBA offseason concluded on Friday when Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside opted into the final year of his four-year contract.
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Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside has exercised the $27.1M player option on his contract for 2019-20, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2019
Whiteside’s four-year deal was signed during the summer of 2016 and is worth a total of $98 million. In the first season of that contract extension, he offered every indication that it would be a wise investment for the Heat. He averaged 17.0 points, a league-high 14.1 rebounds and blocked 2.1 shots per game during the 2016-17 season.
However, since that time, injuries and continued inconsistent play have turned the contract into a burden for the Heat. In the 2017-18 campaign, he was limited to just 54 games and followed that up by ending the final month of this past season as a bench player. For 2018-19, his averages dropped to 12.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest.
Those declining numbers for Whiteside, who turned 30 last week, helped put him on the trading block. The chief problem for the Heat in dealing him was his contract, which no team was apparently willing to take on unless the Heat paid a good-sized portion of the amount due.
Despite opting in, Whiteside will continue to be shopped around and may become more valuable as the season progresses. That’s because teams vying for an NBA title may consider adding him for a playoff drive, hoping that he can be inspired to keep delivering double-double performances.
Other than paying the remainder of Whiteside’s contract, the cost for that team figures to be minimal. The Heat’s main desire is to simply rid themselves of a player who was once considered a cornerstone for the their future.
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