Miami Heat Unable to Extend Hassan Whiteside; Would Become UFA in 2016
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The follow-up question to Hassan Whiteside's explosive rise to impact center for the Miami Heat is when the team should offer him a contract extension.
The Heat holds his rights through next season on a bargain deal paying him just under $2 million, but under CBA rules, the team is not allowed to offer him an extension (meaning he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2016), and Miami will have to compete with any other team for his services, according to the Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman:
Under NBA rules, contracts shorter than three years in length, such as Whiteside's, cannot be extended.
The only way for the Heat to offer Whiteside a new contract after this season would be to waive the final year on his contract. However, because Whiteside is only signed for the league minimum next season, any and every other team could (and assuredly would) put in a claim.
In addition, because of the two seasons Whiteside previously spent with the Sacramento Kings, he would become an unrestricted free agent in 2016, as opposed to if these next two seasons with the Heat were his lone NBA tenure, in which case the Heat would have the right to match outside offers.
Whiteside went on a tear in the month of January, giving Miami an impact big on both ends next to Chris Bosh. His numbers over the last four games have been especially absurd -- 16.5 points, 15.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks on 58-percent shooting. On the season, he's second in the NBA in PER, first in rebound rate, and first in blocks per 48 minutes (6.28). There's obviously no guarantee he sustains this type of production through next season, but his value on the open market could become monstrous by the summer of 2016, joining a dynamic free agent class that could potentially feature Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard.
Pat Riley and the Heat might feel loyalty could play a factor in Whiteside's decision whether to return to the team that gave him a true second chance, but the dollars will have to be there. If a young center with a highly limited offensive game in DeAndre Jordan can command $10 million annually right now what will Whiteside command after the NBA's new TV deal is expected to make the salary cap swell in the coming years?
Hassan Whiteside is going to get paid in the summer of 2016. Whether it's by the Miami Heat or someone else.
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