MIAMI _ Hassan Whiteside is remaining with the Miami Heat
The dynamic shot-blocking center announced the decision this morning on his Snapchat account and on the Players Tribune website.
Whiteside agreed in principle to a four-year, $98 million contract, the maximum he could receive from the Heat, after earning slightly less than $1 million from the Heat this past season. He can formally sign on July 7, when the NBA singing moratorium concludes, with the ability to alter the terms in the interim.
According to a source familiar with the agreement, there is a degree of flexibility built into the arrangement in case the Heat also are able to land Oklahoma City Thunder free-agent forward Kevin Durant.
After a night of negotiations with the Heat and Dallas Mavericks, the shot-blocking center put his free-agency deliberations on hold at about 4 a.m. with a pair of posts on his Snapchat account creating an air of doubt for several hours.
After taking meetings starting at midnight with the Heat and Mavericks in New York, the headquarters for his negotiations, Whiteside initially posted on his Snapchat account, "Free Agency decision coming soon on snap." He followed up with, "I Will Post in the AM go to sleep."
He then slept on it and followed up at 7:40 a.m. with his announcement of a Heat return.
He posted on The Players Tribune:
"I've played on eight teams since college _ from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China.
"I am not ready for there to be a ninth.
"I have decided to re-sign with Miami. I just wanted to take this time to tell all the fans how much you mean to this team, and to me.
"Can't wait to get back to work and try to bring another championship to Miami. (Hashtag)HeatNation."
There also was, as could be expected from the social-media maven, an animated announcement on Snapchat.
On his Snapchat video, Whiteside had one of his co-stars asking, "Hey Cuz, where you gonna sign?"
Whiteside then replied, "Miami."
With that, Will Smith's Welcome to Miami played in the background.
Dwyane Wade, another of the Heat's free agents, chimed in with immediate congratulations.
"Big big congrats ... Your dedication and hard work to the game has finally paid off," Wade posted on Twitter.
Forward Udonis Haslem, another Heat free agent, offered his congratulations on Instagram.
"Words of wisdom," Haslem posted, "from someone who's overcome the odds just like yourself. Never forget who doubted u, never forget who had your back and never forget how it felt on the outside looking in. From one underdog to another congratulation my brotha."
Of coming up short on Whiteside and free-agent forward Nicolas Batum, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told the Dallas Morning News, "Both guys went for more money. Can't fault them for that."
The tone for Whiteside's payday was set at the outset of free agency.
Shortly after the midnight start of NBA free agency, one of the first deals announced was a four-year, $64 million contract for seldom-used Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov. That was followed by an agreement by Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond on a five-year package worth an estimated $130 million. Also in the works is a four-year, $72 million deal between Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah and the New York Knicks.
Whiteside was eligible for a maximum of $94 million over four years from an outside team. Because he does not have Bird Rights, with only a two-year tenure with the Heat, Whiteside had to be signed into the Heat's salary-cap space, which stood at about $43 million entering free agency.
The cash was flying at the outset of the negotiating period, with the NBA's salary cap rising from last season's $70 million to an expected $94 million for 2016-17.
Because the cap will not be finalized until the end of the annual moratorium period, contracts cannot be finalized until July 7, although agreements in principle can be reached in the interim, as is the case with Whiteside.
While Whiteside, as Heat President Pat Riley vowed, was the Heat's priority at the start of free agency, Riley's time in New York is not over. Riley, General Manager Andy Elisburg, owner Micky Arison and team executives Nick Arison and Alonzo Mourning are scheduled to meet Sunday in the Hamptons with Durant, one of six teams that have been invited to participate in that process. Riley now will arrive with a Whiteside agreement in tow.
Elsewhere, the start of free agency also figures to have a significant impact with Wade, who earned $20 million last season, a number that practically stands as a bargain based on the dollars thrown around to a pair of young guards early Friday morning.
Bradley Beal agreed to return to the Washington Wizards on a five-year deal at $128 million, then DeMar DeRozan landed a five-year, $139 million deal to remain with the Toronto Raptors.
The market also set ominous terms when it comes to Heat restricted free-agent guard Tyler Johnson, who is scheduled to meet with several suitors today in Chicago. Guard Jordan Clarkson, who, like Johnson, entered free agency as a restricted free agent, secured a four-year, $50 million contract to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers. The initial belief was that Johnson would return to the Heat on a deal averaging closer to the $5.6 million mid-level exception. The Clarkson agreement, however, shows the bar likely will be raised to a level that will put Johnson closer to a package averaging $10 million.
It also now appears that the market will price starting forward Luol Deng out of a Heat return, with the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and other teams expected to trump what the Heat would be able to carve out of their remaining salary-cap space.
