Mavs Free Agency Rumors: Hassan Whiteside (NOPE)

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by FreshJive

Don't forget Gerald Green.

+ rep

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

If the Lakers and Mavs are both offering him the max, then it gets interesting, because it doesn't look like either team has real clear advantage. Mavs are better right now, but Lakers have more young talent and upside. Lakers of course have the "glamor" factor and the allure of Hollywood and the bigger market, but is Whiteside the kind of guy who even cares about that? His #1 priority is getting paid, but I wonder what his second and third priorities are.

As a young guy, LA or Dallas, Im choosing LA. Unless I grew up obsessed with Dirk Nowitzki and/or Sixth Floor Museum

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

As a young guy, LA or Dallas, Im choosing LA. Unless I grew up obsessed with Dirk Nowitzki and/or Sixth Floor Museum

What difference does it make which city he plays in when he spends most of his time in a gym? It's not like he won't be able to afford multiple houses in different cities once he gets maxed out.

Plus, he's supposed to be looking for a job, not a party... If sunny beaches and dance clubs are a priority for him, then he should probably just stay in Miami -- it's not like LA is a better place to get lit... It's just more expensive.

[spreedom]

It's been 20 years since the Lakers' organization has attracted a top tier free agent in his prime. When they are winning championships and contending year-in and year-out, they signed a lot of quality guys (mostly past their primes) but they don't really have a history of attracting elite free agents to join rebuilding projects. I don't think the mystique of the Lakers means much when they aren't going to be within sniffing distance of a championship (let alone 50 wins or even a .500 record) even if they do sign Whiteside.

Then again, the Mavs don't exactly have a long history of signing quality free agents in their primes either, so we'll have to see what impact a mostly-consistent decade of 50+ wins a season will have.

[yahyes]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Now you're comparing Gerald Green to Kevin Love?

Let me repeat: GERALD GREEN IS NOT GETTING HASSAN WHITESIDE TO DALLAS. To even suggest so is absurd.

Well there sure are a number of other Miami players we could snatch to join Whiteside signing with Dallas. Just a thought!

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by spreedom

It's been 20 years since the Lakers' organization has attracted a top tier free agent in his prime. When they are winning championships and contending year-in and year-out, they signed a lot of quality guys (mostly past their primes) but they don't really have a history of attracting elite free agents to join rebuilding projects. I don't think the mystique of the Lakers means much when they aren't going to be within sniffing distance of a championship (let alone 50 wins or even a .500 record) even if they do sign Whiteside.

I can't say I agree. The bigger market, the history, the Hollywood factor. No matter how terrible the team is, the Lakers will always be the NBA's marquee franchise. I have to imagine that it is certainly a factor for star players. Not as important as making money or winning titles of course, but if all things are equal, I think that does give them an edge- at least with a certain type of personality. Whiteside doesn't seem to care about it, but there are certainly players who do. The Lakers may not have attracted a "top tier" free agent since Shaq, but I think you can lay a lot of that blame at Kobe's feet. Kobe singlehandedly made the Lakers' locker room toxic for the last several years of his career. Now that Kobe's finally gone, and especially if they develop some young talent, they'll definitely be a big player in the FA market again in the near future.

[yahyes]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

As a young guy, LA or Dallas, Im choosing LA. Unless I grew up obsessed with Dirk Nowitzki and/or Sixth Floor Museum

Dallas is a sports town. The Cowboys, Mavs, Stars, and Rangers athletes are very popular here. But it's not all kardashians and beverly hills like LA.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Well, the no state income tax applies to Florida as well, but it might eliminate the Lakers from the conversation...

CA's taxes, whew boy.

California will scrape another 13.3% off the top and they can offer the same amount.

[tap2390]

Deleted bc fair point below

[DirkFTW]

Originally Posted by tap2390

And using f***** to describe a player is what? Incredible insight? GTFOH.

Originally Posted by tap2390

I think the only think Jordan cared about was buttf*cking Blake Griffin.

Insightful.

[MavzMan]

I'm trying not to be all negative and everything, but is anyone else seeing the possibility of Whiteside being DJ part 2? I mean, I could see him saying he will sign the Mavericks because we were on his doorstep at 12:01 and then Riley/Wade/Spo come back to him saying "Oh, we love you. You're cornerstone. Blah blah blah". Next thing you know, we got Cuban with paperwork in hand driving all over Miami trying to find out which nightclub he's in.

[BigDog63]

Heard a caller from Miami cautioning on Whiteside, about how he was going to get paid then his production would plummet. Wouldn't be the first time and should certainly ring familiar to the Mavs. Plenty of centers out there who had a good year, got paid, then disappeared.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by MavzMan

I'm trying not to be all negative and everything, but is anyone else seeing the possibility of Whiteside being DJ part 2? I mean, I could see him saying he will sign the Mavericks because we were on his doorstep at 12:01 and then Riley/Wade/Spo come back to him saying "Oh, we love you. You're cornerstone. Blah blah blah". Next thing you know, we got Cuban with paperwork in hand driving all over Miami trying to find out which nightclub he's in.

I wouldn't worry about that at all. It's extremely rare for players to renege on verbal commitments. Verbal commitments are taken very seriously in the NBA, and it's a big deal when somebody breaks one. Other than DJ, the only guy I think of off the top of my head who did it was Carlos Boozer, and that was over decade ago. Besides, my impression of Whiteside is that he doesn't have any pretensions about being a "cornerstone." He just wants to make as much money as he can.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by BigDog63

Heard a caller from Miami cautioning on Whiteside, about how he was going to get paid then his production would plummet. Wouldn't be the first time and should certainly ring familiar to the Mavs. Plenty of centers out there who had a good year, got paid, then disappeared.

That's always a possibility with any free agent. I'd only be concerned if he has displayed that kind of lack of effort or work ethic in the past.

[rimrocker]

Originally Posted by BigDog63

Heard a caller from Miami cautioning on Whiteside, about how he was going to get paid then his production would plummet. Wouldn't be the first time and should certainly ring familiar to the Mavs. Plenty of centers out there who had a good year, got paid, then disappeared.

Wouldn't surprise me if that happened but at this point we have no choice. We have to take a chance on star who may underachieve but fills a much needed void because we simply can't keep surrounding Dirk with average to below average nice guys who slightly overachieve. The latter is a recipe for perpetual mediocrity.

[dirt_dobber]

Still remember Don Nelson's quote:
If my lips are moving at this time of year - I'm probably lying.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

Still remember Don Nelson's quote:
If my lips are moving at this time of year - I'm probably lying.

Yep. It does seem odd that the offseason plan is laid out through the media. Although I guess last season we all knew DAJ was our only real chance at a big fish and that turned out to be true.

[BigDog63]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Eh, I think if you have Dirk and Matthews (and potentially Parsons) in the lineup, you can afford to have a shooting-deficient point guard.

In Carlisle's system...can they? Remember them turning Kidd into a 3 point set shooter. Others have also failed when lacking shooting ability. That was a big problem with Rondo, too. Ruined floor spacing.

I'd also say it's likely that at least his three point shot shows moderate improvement by the end of his contract. I'd put up with that for sure.

You might, but would Carlisle? He seemed to try with Rondo...but it also seemed to be a problem in his system.

[yahyes]

Of course Daryl Morey mentions that the rockets are chasing Whiteside, Horford, Durant, and Ryan Anderson. Cubes time to battle it out for Whiteside.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by yahyes

Of course Daryl Morey mentions that the rockets are chasing Whiteside, Horford, Durant, and Ryan Anderson. Cubes time to battle it out for Whiteside.

Can't imagine anyone wanting to go there. Seems like a pretty toxic environment. Especially not Horford or Durant.

[spreedom]

Originally Posted by BigDog63

In Carlisle's system...can they? Remember them turning Kidd into a 3 point set shooter. Others have also failed when lacking shooting ability. That was a big problem with Rondo, too. Ruined floor spacing.

I agree that Rondo's shooting was a problem, but I also think if we would have kept him while adding Wes as his backcourt mate, his shooting struggles would have been negated to a degree. But I also don't see Rondo and Rubio as being that similar. One is an extremely selfish, flighty, moody guy that you often don't get 100% effort from. The other is a guy who always plays hard, is consistently productive, is a +/- wunderkind (despite how some may feel about that metric in a vacuum, I think it does have value) and is good at absolutely everything except shooting. Rubio plays the right way and Rondo does not.

Originally Posted by BigDog63

You might, but would Carlisle? He seemed to try with Rondo...but it also seemed to be a problem in his system.

I think Rondo's attitude (and fit next to Ellis) were 98% of the reason he's no longer here. His shooting is the rest.

[DevinHarriswillstart]

I could argue that the Mavs made Rondo a much better 3 point shooter than he had been. Shot a reasonably respectable 35% (up from 25% for the Celtics that same year) for us and 37% for the Kings this past season.

I've always felt that any player can improve upon their weaknesses with effort and caring.

(why are we talking about Rondo again?)

[Thespiralgoeson]

Mavericks may have inside track to Miami Heat free agent Whiteside

Whiteside thinking about the best situation for himself

By Dwain Price

DALLAS – After hearing what Hassan Whiteside said when he met the Miami media over the weekend, the Dallas Mavericks probably feel pretty good about their chances of signing the Heat’s free agent center.

Whiteside played in the National Basketball Development League three times, and also was waived three times in the NBA. Then he finally received an honest chance with the Heat, where he flourished the past two seasons.

To an outsider, that would seem like Whiteside is totally indebted to the Heat and is all set to re-sign with them because they are the team which put him in position to earn a four-year, $94.1 million free agent contract. But, not so fast.

On his Snapchat last Friday, Whiteside wrote: "I’m a businessman that plays basketball.’’

And when he talked to the Miami-area media over the weekend, Whiteside didn’t exactly sound like he owed the Heat anything.

"I really don’t think it’s about loyalty,’’ he said of his free agent destination. "I think it’s about the best situation for myself.’’

Well, that probably had balloons falling from the American Airlines Center ceiling. That statement alone means the Mavericks know that they have a legitimate chance at Whiteside, who averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and an NBA-high 3.7 blocks per game this past season.

Whiteside wants to be a team’s No. 1 free agent option, and hinted this season that he wants to be a bigger part of the offense. He’s definitely earned that right.

The Mavericks are desperately trying to make superstar Dirk Nowitzki the second-best player on their team. And Nowitzki, likewise, doesn’t mind being the second-best player on the Mavericks at this stage of an illustrious career which will be in its 19th year next season.

If the Mavericks can beat the odds and land Whiteside, he will definitely be their No. 1 option. They will tailor their offense around him and make sure he gets between 15-20 field goal attempts per game.

It’s what the Mavericks had planned for DeAndre Jordan last summer during free agency before he mysteriously bailed out on them and went back to the Los Angeles Clippers and settled into that comfortable pressure-less No. 3 hole behind Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

The Mavericks want Whiteside to be The Man. They want the 7-foot, 265-pounder putting up gigantic numbers and making repeated trips to the All-Star game.

The Mavericks also believe Whiteside will be a very key piece in their quest to win another title before Nowitzki, 38, retires.

Here’s another thing working in the Mavs’ favor.

After the season, Heat president Pat Riley said Whiteside was their No. 1 priority in free agency. Now comes word that Oklahoma City superstar Kevin Durant has the Heat as one of the six teams he plans to visit during free agency.

So, is Durant – arguably the third-best player in the NBA behind LeBron James and Stephen Curry – at the top of the Heat’s free agent wish-list? Or is it Whiteside?

It’s either one or the other. It can’t be both.

It’s like choosing between two boyfriends/girlfriends you really, really like. In the end, one of them is going to be your second choice.

It is what it is.

If you went into the off-season saying Hassan Whiteside was your No. 1 priority in free agency and suddenly Kevin Durant wants to have a heart-to-heart meeting with you during free agency, is Hassan Whiteside still your No. 1 priority? Rocket scientists have this one figured out.

The word on the streets of Miami is that Whiteside wants to be the No. 1 free agent option. He wants his ego massaged, he wants folks telling him how great he is.

If you had to make a choice, and you had to choose between saying Whiteside is your No. 1 free agent option or Durant is your No. 1 free agent option, exactly what would you do?

Fortunately for the Mavericks, they don’t have to make that choice. They want Whiteside. . .and Durant wants no parts of the Mavericks.

Portland and the Los Angeles Lakers are the other teams currently linked to Whiteside via free agency. But the Mavericks are assured of getting a free agent meet and greet conversation with the 27-year old freak of nature, who is a lethal game-changer, especially at the defensive end of the floor.

Whiteside will meet with the Mavericks in the early stages of free agency, which begins Thursday at 11:01 p.m. CDT. When the dust finally settles, the Mavericks just hopes the "businessman that plays basketball’’ will do what Jordan wouldn’t do last summer and decide to find a comfortable home in North Texas.


http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/...e86353037.html

Sounds like the Mavs have as good a shot as anybody.

[BPo001]

If Whiteside considers himself a business man he's in luck because Cuban is one of the biggest business men around. I feel like we have a pretty good chance at signing him.

[EricaLubarsky]

I'm glad we are focusing on him first. Going for Durant or any number of their superstars when we just need a starting center and a serviceable, starting guard is smart and will feed into his ego.

If we pull this off, it will be "third times the charm"

If we don't, it's strike three?

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Steve KylerVerified account
‏@stevekylerNBA 4:28 AM - 28 Jun 2016
Want to be clear on Hassan Whiteside, he'd like to stay in Miami - they can offer biggest deal, but he's not romantic about it. Its business

[sefant77]

http://thelab.bleacherreport.com/fro...mming-national

From Forgotten to Coveted
Hassan Whiteside’s NBA Journey

[BigDog63]

Originally Posted by rimrocker

Wouldn't surprise me if that happened but at this point we have no choice. We have to take a chance on star who may underachieve but fills a much needed void because we simply can't keep surrounding Dirk with average to below average nice guys who slightly overachieve. The latter is a recipe for perpetual mediocrity.

The rub is that so is overpaying for underperforming centers...but not disagreeing with you. Just something I hope they do their due diligence on, particularly on that position. There are quite a few who fall into the 'signed big contract, then disappeared, scenario'. Eric Dampier comes first to mind.

[sefant77]

Oh the good old Dampier trashing.

First of all, his contract wasnt so bad. It wasnt 7/73m, it was a 6/60m contract in guaranteed money and that was pretty reasonable and normal overpaying for bigs back then. Cuban also created with this contract the first non-guaranteed trade chip.

Also, in 2004 the Mavs were looking at prime Duncan and prime Shaq in the west and the Pistons around Ben Wallace in the east. They had to go big. Dampier was solid overall. Solid rebounder, really good in setting picks, just his hands were pretty bad. But he never disappeared

[yahyes]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Steve KylerVerified account
‏@stevekylerNBA 4:28 AM - 28 Jun 2016
Want to be clear on Hassan Whiteside, he'd like to stay in Miami - they can offer biggest deal, but he's not romantic about it. Its business

Makes me think he realizes Wade is one foot cramp away from retiring. Not to mention how he's not really a threat anymore with his shooting going down. Then there's Bosh who might actually retire early. But the money might be there to have him being a trade asset next season than an actual franchise player for the team.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Oh the good old Dampier trashing.

First of all, his contract wasnt so bad. It wasnt 7/73m, it was a 6/60m contract in guaranteed money and that was pretty reasonable and normal overpaying for bigs back then. Cuban also created with this contract the first non-guaranteed trade chip.

Also, in 2004 the Mavs were looking at prime Duncan and prime Shaq in the west and the Pistons around Ben Wallace in the east. They had to go back. Dampier was solid overall. Solid rebounder, really good in setting picks, just his hands were pretty bad. But he never disappeared

+rep. It always irked me when people trot out Dampier as an example of a player who just took his paycheck then quit trying. His numbers in Dallas were perfectly consistent with his career numbers and his ability. The last year in Golden State, his numbers were inflated because he was actually one of the best players on a truly awful team. He did his job in Dallas just fine.

[Wang Zhi Zhi]

Originally Posted by sefant77

Oh the good old Dampier trashing.

First of all, his contract wasnt so bad. It wasnt 7/73m, it was a 6/60m contract in guaranteed money and that was pretty reasonable and normal overpaying for bigs back then. Cuban also created with this contract the first non-guaranteed trade chip.

Also, in 2004 the Mavs were looking at prime Duncan and prime Shaq in the west and the Pistons around Ben Wallace in the east. They had to go back. Dampier was solid overall. Solid rebounder, really good in setting picks, just his hands were pretty bad. But he never disappeared

Good stuff; all correct; and all very interesting.

On the other hand, it wasn't just that they gave Damp 6/60, but that 6/60 is almost exactly what PHX gave Nash and that Dallas refused to pay. So it's also the decision to pick Damp over Nash that affects some views of that.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Wang Zhi Zhi

Good stuff; all correct; and all very interesting.

On the other hand, it wasn't just that they gave Damp 6/60, but that 6/60 is almost exactly what PHX gave Nash and that Dallas refused to pay. So it's also the decision to pick Damp over Nash that affects some views of that.

If people want to rip Cuban and Donnie for that decision, that's fine. It's unfair to rip Damp for it though. He simply took the offer that he was given to him- and like sefant said, for all the talk about how Dampier was so horribly overpaid and had such a terrible contract, 6/60 was pretty much the going rate for any serviceable big man back then, and Damp actually was better than most.

Damp's contract said a lot more about the talent, rather lack thereof, at the center position back then. This is a totally different discussion for a different thread, but it's quite amazing and inexplicable to me how far the talent level for centers dropped off after the Hakeem/Ewing/Robinson generation. All through the 2000s, it was utterly pathetic and embarrassing how little talent and skill there was at that position. For years the only two centers in the entire NBA worth a damn were Shaq and Yao. Hell, Jamaal Magloire was an all-star one year, that's how bad it got (and if Damp played in the East, he probably would have been an all-star too.)

Even now, there's been a slight resurgence but the center position is not nearly what it once was. Unlike the 2000's, there are at least a number of 'quality' big men in the league, but I don't think there is one single center in the league today who's nearly as good as Alonzo Mourning was, and Zo was at very most the 4th or 5th best center of his generation.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Lakers confident of getting at least meeting with Kevin Durant

Chris Broussard

Despite not being on the list of teams scheduled to meet with free-agent forward Kevin Durant, the Los Angeles Lakers have not abandoned their hopes of landing him, according to a person with knowledge of the club's thinking.

The Lakers intend to contact Durant and his representatives July 1 and are confident they will get a meeting, the source said.

"I can't imagine Durant wouldn't talk to us," the source said. "That would shock me."
Part of the Lakers' pitch to Kevin Durant will be the ability to team with another top-tier free agent, a source said. Layne Murdoch/NBA/Getty Images

According to ESPN sources and media reports, Durant is scheduled to meet with the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, beginning July 1, the first day free agents are allowed to talk with teams other than their own.

In addition to the Lakers, the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks also are hoping to meet with Durant, according to ESPN sources.

Add the Hawks to the bevy of teams wishing to get involved in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, according to league sources.

The Lakers are highly intrigued by Hassan Whiteside and what he could bring them as a double-double presence inside, sources told ESPN.

The Lakers believe they have a pitch that will appeal to Durant and other free agents, said the source with knowledge of the team's thinking. With the ability to clear more than $60 million in cap space, they will attempt to sell stars on the potential of joining the Lakers with another top-tier free agent, the source said.

"We want to pitch guys on combinations, as opposed to just one guy," the source said. "We'll say to a guy, 'Who do you want to play with? We've got the room to go get him.'"

The Lakers believe their new coach, the highly regarded Luke Walton, as well as their talented group of young players will be attractive to the top free agents on the market.

In addition to Durant, some players the Lakers have interest in are Harrison Barnes, Hassan Whiteside and Al Horford, sources say.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16...d-kevin-durant

This could be good for the Mavs. While everyone else is wasting their time trying to get Durant, Mavs can hopefully entice Whiteside offering a max deal immediately. Only problem is apparently the Lakers can clear enough cap space for multiple max contracts, but still, I think the Mavs have a better pitch. "Come to Dallas, get paid the max, and compete in the playoffs now" verses "Come to LA, get paid the max (minus state tax) and maybe we'll have a small chance at landing Durant."

[yahyes]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

This could be good for the Mavs. While everyone else is wasting their time trying to get Durant, Mavs can hopefully entice Whiteside offering a max deal immediately. Only problem is apparently the Lakers can clear enough cap space for multiple max contracts, but still, I think the Mavs have a better pitch. "Come to Dallas, get paid the max, and compete in the playoffs now" verses "Come to LA, get paid the max (minus state tax) and maybe we'll have a small chance at landing Durant."

Speaking of Durant.. I noticed Westbrook has been quiet about all this talk. Interesting sign that Durant seems for real about leaving. And that meeting he's having with oklahoma looks pointless.

[yahyes]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16...ami-heat-stall

Wade talking to other teams just might help now.

[Melonhead]

Originally Posted by yahyes

Speaking of Durant.. I noticed Westbrook has been quiet about all this talk. Interesting sign that Durant seems for real about leaving. And that meeting he's having with oklahoma looks pointless.

I'd bet my life Durant doesn't go anywhere but OKC. Westbrook has no reason to be talking right now.

[mac222b]

Originally Posted by yahyes

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16...ami-heat-stall

Wade talking to other teams just might help now.

Hard to say. It could cut both ways.

[Thespiralgoeson]

Originally Posted by Melonhead

I'd bet my life Durant doesn't go anywhere but OKC. Westbrook has no reason to be talking right now.

Seriously. I'd say there's maybe a 1% chance he ends up with GSW, but that's about it.

[sefant77]

Durant takes the 1+1 deal. Another shot with the Thunder and next year the ultra max deal with the 2nd cap spike