Miami Heat star center Hassan Whiteside is likely going to pick up his $27.1 million contract option for the 2019-20 season here soon.
In no way does that mean Whiteside will remain in South Beach.
According to this report from Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, the 30-year-old big man will then request a trade once he officially picks up the contract option.
To say that Whiteside has fallen out of favor in Miami would be an understatement. Some within the organization have been looking to trade him for a while now. It’s something team president Pat Riley had in the past pushed back against.
That’s no longer going to be the case. While Whiteside did average 11.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks last season, he played in less than 24 minutes per game.
For their part, the Heat are looking to sell off some veteran contracts in order to be players in free agency.
They have also reportedly shown interest in embattled Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul, who seems to be on his way out of town.
The likes of Whiteside, Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters could potentially be had this summer. Though, all three contracts are not exactly what we’d call team friendly.