NBA Trade Rumors: Miami Heat Unlikely to Move Hassan Whiteside Before the Trade Deadline
Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside should continue to draw plenty of interest in the trade market as the deadline approaches, but he is unlikely to be dealt this week.
Whiteside has struggled with injuries and inconsistency this season, but according to Sporting News' Sean Deveney, the Heat are reportedly reluctant to part ways with him because they will need him to anchor their defense if they want to improve their position in the push for the playoffs.
"League sources tell Sporting News that a move involving Whiteside would be a long shot, because for all the frustration he gives to Spoelstra, the Heat know how valuable he has been to their rise as a defensive force in the East, which has moved them into contention for one of the top three seeds in the conference," Deveney wrote in his report.
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Apparently, a league executive has told Deveney that the Heat would only consider trading Whiteside if they get another defensive big man in return. "My sense is, the only way they would move him is if they could get an upgrade at the same position," the executive said.
The only center in the trade market who can be considered on par or better than Whiteside is DeAndre Jordan.
But, as noted by Deveney, Jordan has the option to opt out of the final year of his contract this offseason, so acquiring him will be risky. Furthermore, the Clippers probably are not interested in absorbing Whiteside's contract either because they want to shed payroll to create some financial flexibility for the offseason.
At any rate, the Heat are better off holding on to Whiteside for the rest of the season.
Whiteside is currently averaging 14.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in under 26 minutes per game, and he's shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 73.6 percent from the free-throw line.
