Hassan Whiteside earned less than $1 million each of the past two seasons with the Miami Heat, acting as one of the NBA's top bargains factoring in his sensational production.
Now, as perhaps this summer's biggest unrestricted free agent not named Kevin Durant, the 27-year-old center will deservedly hit the jackpot and ink the first significant contract of his playing career.
Where Whiteside ends up remains to be seen, though, as he'll surely have a long list of suitors seeking to bring him into the fold. The spiking salary cap means a majority of NBA teams will have the finances to add to any compelling arguments of why he should sign, on top of him being a quality basketball fit.
Here's three squads to keep an eye on in the Whiteside sweepstakes:
Miami Heat
There will be some monetary obstacles for the league's South Beach residents in re-signing the 7-footer, all of which stem from not owning his Bird rights and not being able to exceed the cap because of his original minimum contract.
Heat president Pat Riley has incidated publicly that re-signing Whiteside is a top priority, with his reported pitch including mentions of the city's lifestyle, the lack of a state income tax, and 7.5-percent annual raises off the first-year salary. A max offer is projected to be $21.6 million, however, Heat management would prefer if he took less.
The team got within one victory of reaching the Eastern Conference finals, and that was without Whiteside and All-Star Chris Bosh in the lineup. Since Whiteside would prefer not to be the face of a losing franchise, agreeing to a slight pay decrease from what he could garner elsewhere to continue playing for a winning organization, may not be the worst thing in the world.
Los Angeles Lakers
Despite their recent track record, or lack thereof, the Lakers are still a factor in free agency because of their cap space (upwards of $60 million), championship lineage, and Hollywood backdrop. There's also a giant gaping hole where Kobe Bryant used to be that Whiteside could attempt to fill, although, in fairness, no one could ever truly replace the Black Mamba.
The Lakers desperately need an inside presence with the Roy Hibbert experiment failing. Whiteside, who led the NBA in rejections (3.7) and finished third in rebounds (11.8) in 2015-16, would mesh well with a young, dynamic backcourt in D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson, as well as newly-drafted forward Brandon Ingram, forming a core fans could rally behind.
The City of Angels is where big men go to dominate. Whiteside is evolving into something truly special already, but donning purple and gold could help take him to that next level.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are on the cusp of becoming a legitimate threat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East, rather than being just a really good team with a head coach who knows how to get the most out of its parts, despite lacking a true star.
Kelly Olynyk, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger, and Tyler Zeller were steady hands at the five spot, but aren't difference-makers on the floor quite like Whiteside, who's a walking double-double capable of altering shots around the basket, evident by his three triple-doubles including rejections.
Beantown fans love players who hustle and grind it out on the hardwood, while also keeping a level head. Whiteside's maturity is often brought into question, but the structure in place with the Celtics from the front office down will help keep him in check and get the absolute best out of him - a frightening thought considering how far he's come.
