Hassan Whiteside (Photo : Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images Sport)
The Miami Heat will have to face the music that Hassan Whiteside would be leaving for free agency.
This is the prevailing thought of ESPN Insiders assessment of Whiteside as a prominent name likely to move before the trade deadline.
Amin Elhassan of ESPN noted that Whiteside's contract situation (not having Bird Rights)" makes it difficult for Miami to retain him while maintaining the flexibility to improve the team further. Moving Whiteside along with a player like Chris Andersen would help Miami moving forward."
It's ironic that the Heat, in this situation, would be better off with a center under contract or someone who has Bird Rights. This is why they are rumored to go after DeMarcus Cousins or Dwight Howard.
This is because the Heat cannot sign Dwyane Wade using the Bird Rights if they have available cap space. They will have to sign Wade and Whiteside within their available cap space ($89 million) when they already have huge contracts to Goran Dragic and Chris Bosh already.
Trading for a center that's under contract (like Cousins) will allow them to fill out the cap first then sign free agents (Wade) with Bird Rights.
But Cousins is a long shot and the Rockets would not trade Dwight Howard for Hassan Whiteside only. Perhaps the Heat could look for other options, and that could be the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks are currently struggling to make the playoffs and as suggested by Bleacher Report, need to trade for a defensive big man.
Greg Monroe is a quality big man, but he is known for his offense rather than defense. Whiteside could address the Bucks defensive woes and Monroe could be the big man that the Heat will take as "consolation" for Whiteside.
Sending Whiteside, Chris Andersen and Luol Deng to cover salaries will make the Bucks better on defense. In exchange, the Bucks will send Greg Monroe, Miles Plumlee (whom the Bucks are shopping) and promising guard Rashad Vaughn (as someone Miami might demand) works on the ESPN Trade machine.
