Whiteside: trade or keep?

[Scalma]

Possible. Though if he's half as good as most people on here think, he should get $20m/year.

Let's say all he can get is the MLE elsewhere. He could still tell Olshey, he's taking a 1 year deal for the MLE elsewhere unless Olshey gives him big bucks. Then Olshey can either over pay him or tell him to kick rocks and have nothing to show for it.

There are six teams currently that project to have cap space. One of them is Atlanta who do not need a center. Other centers that could hit the market include Drummond, Marc Gasol, Baynes, Dwight, Lopez, Thompson, Plumlee, and Noel. Good luck to Whiteside getting that $20M offer.

 

[B-Roy]

Possible. Though if he's half as good as most people on here think, he should get $20m/year.

Let's say all he can get is the MLE elsewhere. He could still tell Olshey, he's taking a 1 year deal for the MLE elsewhere unless Olshey gives him big bucks. Then Olshey can either over pay him or tell him to kick rocks and have nothing to show for it.

You need teams with cap space for that to happen, and the ones with space are mostly set at center. The guys here who like him have maintained he’s only worth about 10-12 million.

I think if the second scenario happens then Neil would happily let him leave. That is, if Whiteside actually believes he can punt on next year given he’s past 30....I just don’t see that happening. Centers in general are becoming devalued. It’s in Hassan’s best interest to get as much guaranteed money as he can this year. This situation is not a real threat imo.

 

[Lanny]

This would make sense, or they just couldn't find a trade partner and will dump his contract for space this summer.

But, as many others have said, I wouldn't mind playing bully ball with two big pick and roll receiving centers. The biggest problem I see with this is they both need Lillard on the floor to be at their best. We need to teach Trent Jr. how to run the PnR with Whiteside.

If the Blazers trade Whiteside, Olshey can expect to find me on his front lawn with my shotgun in hand.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Yeah I'm so mad we won't get to see Swanigan as our starting center for the next few weeks.

We'll lose Whiteside for nothing

 

[Scalma]

https://instagram.com/stories/trailblazers/2238233268579511099?igshid=l3x9s2mq8llr

Lolll look how happy he is.

 

[Tince]

You need teams with cap space for that to happen, and the ones with space are mostly set at center. The guys here who like him have maintained he’s only worth about 10-12 million.

I think if the second scenario happens then Neil would happily let him leave. That is, if Whiteside actually believes he can punt on next year given he’s past 30....I just don’t see that happening. Centers in general are becoming devalued. It’s in Hassan’s best interest to get as much guaranteed money as he can this year. This situation is not a real threat imo.

Interesting points. Do you think Olshey is banking on the market being so bad that he can get Whiteside to sign on the cheap? If that's the case, I'd assume that would be a short term solution because Whiteside won't sign on the cheap for more than 1 year.

Where do you think Whiteside ranks amongst centers in the NBA?

 

[CupWizier]

We just gave Whiteside so much more leverage in what could be a dry free agent summer. He and his agent have to know that Olshey has total egg on his face if he loses him for nothing, so I'd assume they'll make him pay a premium to retain him. Then, if we do overpay to keep him, and we can't make two slow-of-foot centers work together, he'll point the finger elsewhere.

I think Blazers are in the drivers seat and are more than willing to walk away or look for a sign and trade to a team Whiteside wants to go to if his asking price is to high. I don't see us paying Whiteside more than Nurkic so he should know where the teams mindset is at.

 

[Tince]

I think Blazers are in the drivers seat and are more than willing to walk away or look for a sign and trade to a team Whiteside wants to go to if his asking price is to high. I don't see us paying Whiteside more than Nurkic so he should know where the teams mindset is at.

I guess my question is two fold: 1) Do you expect we'll resign him? 2) If yes, what do you think that contract will look like?

 

[Scalma]

Interesting points. Do you think Olshey is banking on the market being so bad that he can get Whiteside to sign on the cheap? If that's the case, I'd assume that would be a short term solution because Whiteside won't sign on the cheap for more than 1 year.

Where do you think Whiteside ranks amongst centers in the NBA?

I don’t think Whitesides value will get higher as he gets older. That 10-15m range seems about right for him going forward. If Portland offers him something like 4/40, he should probably take it. But if it were up to me I’d offer something with a higher AAV with fewer years...like 2/24.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I really like Whiteside. I have posted on here that he is one Blazer I would love to hang out with. I have defended him here against the charge of being lazy. What worries me is that Olshey seems to be making decisions for sentimental reasons. I think example #1 would be the drafting of Swanigan. I don't think that was a pick by our scouts, who do a great job finding second round gems. Olshey fell for a feelgood story and drafted a guy who doesn't really belong in the NBA. Now we have another feel good story, Whiteside has found a home at last and wants to stay here. He says he will make all the sacrifices needed to make it work. I think he truly believes that. But the only way this works is if Nurkic keeps being injured and I'm sure not hoping for that. The "sentimental" theory might also explain the big contract for CJ and reluctance to trade him. I think a GM has to be a little bit tough some times.

 

[CupWizier]

I guess my question is two fold: 1) Do you expect we'll resign him? 2) If yes, what do you think that contract will look like?

I usually don't play the speculation game but I can see a 3 year 33 mil deal be a possibility with the 3rd year being a team option. No way should we pay him more than Nurkic though. I think that, along with the mle and the exceptions we can fill out the roster nicely. If Whiteside wants more then have his agent discuss deals with teams and if he can get a better deal then see if we can do a sign and trade as only 6 teams will have decent cap space and some already have a center.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Nurkic has won 0 NBA playoff games.

Build the team without expecting anything from Nurk, if he can stay healthy then that will be a nice surprise.

 

[BoomChakaLaka]

Get him signed to an extension ASAP!

3-years $42,000,000. Year 3 = team option.

13 + 14 + 15 (team option)


And if we make the playoffs, re-sign Melo for two years (team option in year two)

 

[BigGameDamian]

Get him signed to an extension ASAP!

3-years $42,000,000. Year 3 = team option.

13 + 14 + 15 (team option)


And if we make the playoffs, re-sign Melo for two years (team option in year two)

Neil's going to give Whiteside 80 mill for 3 years.

 

[kjironman1]

Neil's going to give Whiteside 80 mill for 3 years.

Well he has bird rights so they can pay him. Not sure he will pay him that much? But if the Blazers decide to pay him i'm sure it will be quite a bit.

 

[CupWizier]

Neil's going to give Whiteside 80 mill for 3 years.

wanna put a wager on that?

 

[mook]

Whiteside is 31 next year.

Here is the entire list of guys over 31 who are 7' or taller in the NBA:



Lopez and McGee are the only two starters.

Andre Drummond, a guy who is 5 years younger and puts up better stats than Whiteside, just got traded for a bag of peanuts.

I think there's a decent chance we can re-sign Whiteside over the summer. It's iffy that he's a long-term starter wherever he signs next year. He might get a starting gig for a year, but another demotion is pretty likely given that he's not good enough to carry a team, and he's not talentedHe's made his money already, and he's not done well under the spotlight of a major market.

 

[e_blazer]

I don't think that there are any teams that need centers that will have the money to offer more than the non-taxpayer MLE, which is projected to be around $9.8M. The Blazers should be able to re-sign Hassan for something around $10-12M per year.

 

[OSUBlazerfan]

He's doing a major renovation project on his house (middle of winter) and he's been really really happy to be here. We were his second choice years ago. I think we get sign him for 4 years 60 mil, team option

 

[maxiep]

In the end, it's all about whether or not he would accept a role with this team. Right now, he looks amazing on the stat sheet because we have no one else. I love the guy, but his defensive rotations are horrible. He goes for the block and it's a dunk if he doesn't get it.

However, if he's willing to be part of a three-headed beast with Nurk and Zach, and understand he won't be putting up gaudy stats or playing 30 minutes night in and night out. For Stotts, it offers him the ability to put the best center for the matchup. Want to pull the five outside? Play Collins. Want someone to stay back and block shots? Play Whiteside. Want good passing from the post? Play Nurk.

It's a championship-level rotation at the five. It's the emotional part of having three guys who want to be out there all the time. Collins isn't a concern, because he'll get time at the four. In the end, Whiteside will have be cool with the situation.

 

[Hoopguru]

If hew would have ended up on a playoff team yesterday for a couple rounders a few years out, it would have been one of the worst trades in a while. This guy like some others, under Dame's leadership and Stotts coaching will help this team take the next step.

 

[illmatic99]

I wanna see how it works out with Nurk in the picture. Neither of them seem like they'd be content coming off the bench.

And we have to pay Zach still.

 

[Hoopguru]

In the end, it's all about whether or not he would accept a role with this team. Right now, he looks amazing on the stat sheet because we have no one else. I love the guy, but his defensive rotations are horrible. He goes for the block and it's a dunk if he doesn't get it.

However, if he's willing to be part of a three-headed beast with Nurk and Zach, and understand he won't be putting up gaudy stats or playing 30 minutes night in and night out. For Stotts, it offers him the ability to put the best center for the matchup. Want to pull the five outside? Play Collins. Want someone to stay back and block shots? Play Whiteside. Want good passing from the post? Play Nurk.

It's a championship-level rotation at the five. It's the emotional part of having three guys who want to be out there all the time. Collins isn't a concern, because he'll get time at the four. In the end, Whiteside will have be cool with the situation.

I think he may consider it? Look at some of the 5 years that are extending their careers and are willing to come off the bench.
The only thing that may sway him to leave is the wet climate for 6 months of the year. jk

 

[Scalma]

He mentions guys with bird rights and non guaranteed contracts that they wanna keep. Bird = Whiteside.

 

[OneSport3]

Whiteside is 9th in the league in PER ranking. He's only behind Giannis, Luka, Harden, AD, Dame, Kawhi, LeBron and Jokic. All of those guys are MVP candidates.

To give some perspective, with a 25.20 PER, that's higher than both Steph's (24.45) and KD's (24.26) ranking from last season.

 

[B-Roy]

He mentions guys with bird rights and non guaranteed contracts that they wanna keep. Bird = Whiteside.

He mentioned that last year re: Aminu. Look how that turned out.

 

[tiredhunter]

He mentioned that last year re: Aminu. Look how that turned out.

I still wonder what would have been if they used Aminu's bird rights. Going into the season there didn't seem to be a role for him unless he was okay with a reduced presence; After the Collins injury, but before Melo established himself I was actively peeved that Olshey didn't bring Aminu back. With Melo, it's nice to see a semi-consistent scorer at 4, but the defensive presence is missed. It really is the same set of questions for Whiteside this offseason, can he accept a diminished/different role, is he going to ask for too much? Though, I do think teams may be more likely to sign/trade for Whiteside than they were Aminu.

 

[Scalma]

He mentioned that last year re: Aminu. Look how that turned out.

link?

 

[Scalma]

Not bringing back Aminu was the right move imo. Unfortunately his replacement (and Moes) both went down so we never really got to see the proof.

 

[hoopsjock]

You call what we're doing this season competetive? What would we have been sacrificing by dealing Whiteside for two smaller expirings and a 2nd?

On the flip side, were that deal to have occurred, we'd avoid the tax this year, opening up the reasonable possibility of going into the tax in a couple years if able to develop a contender without having to risk repeater penalties. Plus, Henson would actually be a more likely and viable candidate for re-signing this summer than Whiteside is.

The return was also lesser because Detroit would only take back expirings. Had they been willing to take on some salary for next year like Memphis did then they probably would've gotten better assets.