Hassan Whiteside (Photo : Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks could be one of the teams in free agency to lure star free agent Hassan Whiteside.
Whiteside, one of the most coveted talents in this year's free agency class, heads into the summer with plenty of teams including him in their bucket list. According to Palm Beach Post's Jason Lieser, the Mavs could offer an "alluring role" for Whiteside, with the team lacking a dominating center in the past seasons.
"Mark Cuban swung big on DeAndre Jordan last summer only to lose him in one of the most bizarre free agency sagas ever. He gets another shot at landing a top-line big man with Whiteside. Don't underestimate his recruiting ability or the Mavericks' appeal to Whiteside. They've been in the playoffs 15 of the last 16 years and have no star outside of Dirk Nowitzki, leaving an alluring role for Whiteside," Lieser wrote.
Whiteside would give the Mavs a legitimate threat inside the paint on both ends of the floor, something Dallas has not had in the past years. The 26-year-old's season average of 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and a league-leading 3.7 blocks per game would be a significant boost to the Mavs' center position, especially with Zaza Pachulia also set to explore free agency.
However, the Mavs face a stiff competition of acquiring Whiteside this summer, with the center top in the list of teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets, who have the money to give Whiteside max deals. But the Mavs should still be optimistic about their chances, with Whiteside predicted to bolt out of Miami if the Heat "play games," according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
"If the Heat try to play games, sources close to the situation say Whiteside will go shopping," Kyler wrote.
"League sources said this weekend that Whiteside is getting a full max deal - the question is will it be from the HEAT or someone else?"
The Mavs have a projected max cap space of $56.2 million, enough to offer Whiteside a max deal, which is the likeliest scenario following a career-season with the Heat. If Dallas could retain key free agents like Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons, they have a real chance of convincing Whiteside to become the team's star center for the coming years.
