Portland Trail Blazers big man Hassan Whiteside is scheduled to become a free agent in a few weeks.
According to John Hollinger, he could earn over $17 million per year.
Free Agent Centers salary projections using @johnhollinger players’ worth in his valuation tool:
Whiteside – $17,200,380
Christian Wood – $15,830,309
Drummond – $14,906,274
Jakob Poeltl – $13,166,442
Favors – $12,652,855
Ibaka – $5,521,235
Dwight – $3,137,516
via @johnhollinger
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 6, 2020
Whiteside was traded to Portland as part of a mid-summer deal with the Miami Heat.
In 67 games with the team, he averaged 15.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game on 62% shooting.
Unfortunately, his okay wasn’t enough for Portland to make much ground in the postseason, as they lost in just 5 games to the Lakers in the very first round.
This past season, the big man-made over $27 million, and though he will likely never be given a deal that large again, he is projected to make at least $15 million on his next contract — in a free-agent market that is relatively shallow with talent.
Whiteside, 31, is a powerful force who can dominate the paint on both ends of the floor. His skillet will be particularly valuable for many teams in the NBA.
It will be interesting to see how things progress for him this offseason.
