Getty Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat talks with Hassan Whiteside.
December isn’t just trade season in the NBA. It’s the time of year when teams get a real first look at buyout candidates and free agents with roughly a quarter of the season in the books. And for one former Miami Heat star, it’s a chance to get back into the league.
Hassan Whiteside has been a free agent since his contract with the Utah Jazz expired over the summer. The former Heat big man has bounced around the league a bit following a largely successful stint in South Beach between 2014-2019.
And according to Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, Whiteside is “worth a call” for teams that experience injury concerns or require additional depth. Bailey noted that Whiteside actually thrived last season as a backup to then-Jazz star Rudy Gobert.
“Hassan Whiteside posted a career-high 66.2 true shooting percentage and averaged 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in just 17.9 minutes as a backup in 2021-22.”
The Heat’s High-Low Affair with Whiteside
After spending two years abroad, Whitside returned stateside in 2014 to ply his trade for the Miami Heat. Whiteside wasn’t joining the most stacked Heat roster — LeBron James had departed for Cleveland, leaving the franchise with an odd mix of aging stars (Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh) and intriguing youth (Whiteside).
But over his next five seasons, Whiteside became an able contributor in Miami. He logged 14.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game over the span. And though he was never an All-Star, his defense saw him earn a Second-Team All-Defense nod in 2016. His story was an inspiring one — a fairytale scenario for a player whose career in the NBA seemed in doubt after a forgettable stint in Sacramento right out of college.
But that fairytale turned into a reality TV show quickly. The Heat continued to rebuild, adding Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk. As a result, Whiteside saw his role reduced drastically. And after getting just 20 minutes of action against the Brooklyn Nets in April 2018, Whiteside vented his frustration over his playing time to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
a Hassan Whiteside Moment™
“Man, it’s annoying. Why we matching up? We got one of the best centers in the league. Why we matching up? A lot of teams don’t have a good center. They’re going to use their strength.”
…
“It’s bulls***. It’s bulls***, man,” he continued. “There’s a lot of teams that could use a center. S***. That’s bulls***.
Whiteside Linked to the Milwaukee Bucks
According to Morten Stig Jenson of Forbes, Whiteside would make an excellent addition on the Milwaukee Bucks, adding depth to a position headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the perennially underrated Brook Lopez.
“Not only could Whiteside sub in for when Brook Lopez needs a breather, he could also help save Giannis Antetokounmpo from overburdened himself through the course of a long year by simply rebounding the ball, and scoring on putbacks. That’s less effort on the part of Antetokounmpo in trying to constantly sneak in for offensive rebounds, to help give his team another possession. With Whiteside around, Antetokounmpo could key in on other areas.”
Players to average at least 3 BPG in the past 15 seasons:
Serge Ibaka (2012)
Hassan Whiteside (2016)
Brook Lopez (This Season) 👀
The Bucks have the best defense in the NBA
At this stage in his career, the days of Whiteside contending for All-NBA teams is well past. But, as proven in Utah, he can be a nice contributor off the bench for a contending team. But it might take quite a bit for Milwaukee to pull the trigger on a position they look more than set at right now.