NBA Rumors: With NBA Free Agency quickly approaching, we debate who deserves a max contract more: Dwight Howard or Hassan Whiteside?
NBA Free Agency is still more than a month away. Good luck quieting the whispers, though.
And as we grow closer and closer to perhaps the most exciting part of the summer – certainly when it comes to the Association – there are a few questions that will be at the forefront of what will happen when free agency opens in July.
While the bigger ones are centered around LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Al Horford and DeMar DeRozan, there might be one more debate that will ultimate headline the summer.
Who would teams rather max out, Dwight Howard or Hassan Whiteside?
It’s a legitimate question that needs to be answered before discussions even begin in July, especially teams that will be in the market for a center like the Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and perhaps the Charlotte Hornets.
Bucks
With the young talent and immense length that surrounds their frontcourt, a legitimate center presence could make all the difference for this team. Adding a player like Dwight or Hassan could help elevate this team to what we all believed they would be prior to the 2015-16 season.
Blazers
After a superb run in the playoffs this season, by knocking off an undermanned Clippers team and playing the Warriors tough, adding a true center could help the Blazers make another step forward next season. Plus, the pick-and-roll possibilities of Dwight or Hassan with Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum are endless.
Mavs
Dallas nearly stole DeAndre Jordan last summer away from the Clippers, but we all know how that ended. They’ll be back in the market this season, after using Salah Mejri, Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee as duct tape to hold the center position together.
Hornets
If Charlotte elects to move on from Al Jefferson this summer, which they just might, the Hornets could be in the market for a center to replace him. And, as we saw in the playoffs, this team desperately could’ve used any sort of rim protector.
Dwight and Hassan will both be wanted centers this summer. Though, they’re going to cost teams. Are the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets willing to pony up the offer that it’s going to take to retain each of them?
Right now, we just don’t know. Though, it’s looking more and more likely that there is no longer a bridge for Dwight to return to Houston, which makes all of this that more interesting.
Pat Riley, in his end of the season interview, stated that Whiteside was the team’s No. 1 priority heading into free agency. But actions speak louder than words.
With that in mind, we analyze the pros and cons of feeding a max contract to Hassan Whiteside and Dwight Howard.
Next: Why Dwight Deserves One