Dragic says he'll text Whiteside 24/7 about re-signing with Heat

With Chris Bosh's health remaining an uncertainty, the Miami Heat know they can ill afford to lose another key piece of their frontcourt.

Hassan Whiteside is likely due for a large payday as he heads for free agency this summer, and his Heat teammates fully intend to play their part in pitching the shot-blocking center on remaining in South Beach.

"Everything," point guard Goran Dragic told reporters of what he'll do to recruit Whiteside. "What's he want to hear? Whitey's a tremendous player and tremendous teammate. We love him here. He knows that everybody wants him back, so hopefully he's gonna see that.

"I'll text him and call him 24/7, butter him up all the time. I need to make my Snapchat so I can follow him."

After bouncing around early on in his career, Whiteside appeared in 73 games this season, averaging 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks in 29.1 minutes. That type of production will make him one of the prized big men on the free-agent market.

"He was unbelievable this season," Dragic said. "He was great for this team. Hopefully, he sees that everybody likes him here. I love playing with him.

"Of course we want him back. It's his decision, but I feel like we developed great friendship with him - all the players - and hopefully he stays."