Hassan Whiteside has decided to call it quits -- for the moment.After a night of negotiations with the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, the shot-blocking center put his free-agency deliberations on hold at about 4 a.m. today with a pair of posts on his Snapchat account.
After taking meetings with the Heat and Mavericks in New York, the headquarters for his negotiations, Whiteside posted on his Snapchat account, "Free Agency decision coming soon on snap." He followed up with, "I Will Post in the AM go to sleep."
What has become clear is that Whiteside will get paid, based on the early numbers coming out in free agency overall and particularly for centers.
Shortly after the midnight start of NBA free agency, one of the first deals announced was a four-year, $64 million deal for seldom-used Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov. The was followed by an agreement by Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond on a five-year package worth an estimated $130 million. Also in the works is a four-year, $72 million deal between Joakim Noah and the New York Knicks,
Whiteside can receive a four-year $98 million maximum offer from the Heat or maximum four-year, $94 million contract from an outside team. Because he does not have Bird Rights, with only a two-year tenure with the Heat, he must be signed into the Heat's salary-cap space.
The cash was flying at the outset of the start of the negotiating period, with the NBA's salary cap rising from last season's $70 million to an expected $94 million for 2016-17.
Because the cap will not be finalized until the end of the annual moratorium period, contracts cannot be finalized until July 7.
While Whiteside, as Heat President Pat Riley vowed, was the Heat's priority at the start of free agency, Riley's time in New York is not over. Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison are scheduled to meet Sunday in the Hamptons with Oklahoma City Thunder free-agent forward Kevin Durant, one of six teams that have been invited to participate in that process.
The start of free agency also figures to have a significant impact with Heat free-agent guard Dwyane Wade, who earned $20 million last season, a number that practically stands as a bargain based on the dollars thrown around to a pair of young guards early Friday morning.
No sooner did Bradley Beal agree to return to the Washington Wizards on a five-year deal in excess of $120 million, then DeMar DeRozan landed a five-year, $139 million deal to remain with theToronto Raptors.
The market also set concerning terms when it comes to Heat restricted free-agent guard Tyler Johnson, who is scheduled to meet with several suitors today in Chicago. Guard Jordan Clarkson, who, like Johnson, entered free agency as a restricted free agent, secured a four-year, $50 million contract to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers. The initial belief was that Johnson would return to the Heat on a deal averaging closer to the $5.6 million mid-level exception. The Clarkson agreement, however, shows the bar likely will be raised to a level that will put Johnson closer to a package averaging $10 million.
It also now appears that the market will price starting forward Luol Deng out of a Heat return, with the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and others expected to trump what the Heat would be able to carve out of their remaining salary-cap space.
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