Miami Heat Rumors: Will Hassan Whiteside Re-sign For Team Or Move On With LA Lakers?

Miami center Hassan Whiteside enjoyed a tremendous career-high season after his breakout performance in terms of points, blocks, rebounds, and active minutes played. He is now fast becoming a hot commodity in the free agency season with basketball pundits expecting him to seek a max contract to re-sign with Heat. As the team grapples with cap space, rumor land is rife with speculations of Whiteside jumping board to LA and join the Lakers.

As per USA Today report, Whiteside remains an important priority for the Heat this offseason according to Miami exec Pat Riley. He believes the center still has more room to grow apart from his excellent rebounding and blocking skills. Miami is out to add more finesse to his offensive gameplay and turn him into hardened player on the hardcourt.

On the west coast, Los Angeles is out to pry him from the east as the team rebuilds a younger roster without Kobe Bryant. After a record two consecutive worst season performance in the franchise's history, the Lakers top brass will be using their large cap space to lure high profile players including Whiteside after rumors of Heat not offering a max contract to their center broke out. However, Miami fans are slightly hopeful that Whiteside will still choose to stay.

"My understanding, reiterated in recent days, is if all things are equal financially, Whiteside wants to re-sign with Miami. He likes living here and likes the organization," wrote Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

But Miami Heat is currently in a bind with core players like Dwayne Wade, Luol Deng and Joe Johnson entering offseason as free agents as well. This means juicier contracts for their top players to keep them from leaving.

The Chris Bosh medical saga is also hurting Miami's cap space and their lineup as well. Miami simply cannot afford to see Whiteside exiting from the team after Bosh's blood clot forced the team to keep him from playing. With less than a max contract, Whiteside's rumored jump to the Lakers would be a looming possibility.

If Whiteside chooses to stay for a lesser paycheck, the team may need to strongly convince him that it's worth staying in Miami since Florida does not impose state income tax, The Score reported. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant is also on Miami Heat's talent radar as a suitable replacement should Whiteside decide to play elsewhere.