Hassan Whiteside Projected to Land $18 Million Raise Next Summer
Life is already good for Hassan Whiteside, but his bank account is on the cusp of explosion.
As long as the Miami Heat's starting center continues to show he is indeed real -- a seven-foot, two-way impact player entering his prime -- he's going to receive a gigantic increase in his annual salary when he becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season.
ESPN's Amin Elhassan pegs Whiteside's early suggested AAV (annual average value) at whopping $18.8 million. That's about an $18 million raise from what he's earning now, as he enters the final year of a deal that will net him just under $1 million. While that's a massive increase, it's not even the max.
With the NBA's salary cap projected to rise to about $89 million next July (up from the current $70 million), Whiteside can earn a maximum of 25 percent of the cap, putting him just north of a deal starting at $22 million in Year 1. With the amount of cash teams will be swimming in as the cap surges to new heights, it wouldn't be outlandish to expect Whiteside to command that max figure or close to it.
Whether it's with the Heat or someone looking to poach the soaring 26-year-old, the paycheck is in Hassan's court.
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