MIAMI (AP) — Hassan Whiteside is not leaving the final year of his Miami Heat deal on the table.
A person with knowledge of the situation said Friday that Whiteside is exercising his $27.1 million option for next season in Miami. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the Heat nor Whiteside announced the decision publicly.
The decision was not unexpected. This will be the last year of Whiteside’s four-year, $98 million contract with Miami, and his salary for the upcoming season will maintain his position as the highest-paid player on the Heat roster.
Last season, Whiteside averaged 12.3 points and led the team with an average of 11.3 rebounds. He played in 72 games and was a starting player in 53 of them. Despite averaging just 23 minutes per game, he sometimes voiced his dissatisfaction with not having a more significant role.
“Heat President Pat Riley stated on Friday, several hours before the option was exercised, “He’s going to come to training camp like everybody else this year and earn it.”
Over parts of seven seasons with Miami and Sacramento, Whiteside has averaged 13.4 points and 11.4 rebounds for his career. He topped the NBA in blocks per game during the 2015-16 season and then led the league in rebounds per game the next season.
He ranks third in all-time blocks for Miami, trailing Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade, and fifth in all-time rebounds for the same team, behind Udonis Haslem, Mourning, Rony Seikaly, and Wade.
