Miami Heat Would Be Crazy To Trade Hassan Whiteside At Deadline

The Miami Heat are currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 29-24 record. Unfortunately for them, the team just can’t catch a break. All-Star forward Chris Bosh missed All-Star weekend due to an injury that may be worse than everybody thinks. To make matters worse, there have even been rumors that Hassan Whiteside is on the trading block.

Whiteside has grown as a player this season. He was a good player last season, but nobody really respected his talent because said talent just appeared out of nowhere. Now, Whiteside is a defensive force that can sometimes even get triple-doubles with points, rebounds and blocks. Whiteside is averaging 12.2 points, 11 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game. Whiteside is also an important reason why the Heat are giving up the second-fewest points in the league (96.3).

But even with all that Whiteside brings to the Heat, he does have some negatives surrounding him. His motor can sometimes come and go, he needs to work on his free throw shooting and he sometimes gets over emotional. Additionally, Whiteside will be entering free agency this summer and he will demand a large long-term deal. And yet, the Heat can’t afford to trade him or let him leave in free agency.

Dwyane Wade is aging and he is nearing the end of his career. Bosh has had two injury scares in the last couple of seasons. Justise Winslow is still developing. Whiteside may not be a star, but his defensive prowess in the paint is unquestioned. If the Heat traded Whiteside, their defense would get significantly worse.

The team would also be officially declaring that they are entering a rebuilding phase. Bosh and Wade won’t be with the team for much longer. Goran Dragic isn’t what he used to be and his numbers are the lowest they’ve been in several years. Even though the Heat aren’t a great offensive team, their defense is great mainly because of Whiteside. And if the Heat trade Whiteside, their championship window will have officially closed because defense wins championships and they won’t be able to be great defensively.