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 expected. This will be the last year of Whiteside’s four-year contract with Miami, worth $98 million. His salary for the upcoming season will continue to make him the highest-paid player on the Heat roster.
Last season, Whiteside averaged 12.3 points and led the team with 11.3 rebounds. He featured in 72 games, starting in 53 of them. Despite only averaging 23 minutes per game, he occasionally voiced his dissatisfaction with not having a more significant role.
“Like everyone else this year, he’s going to come to training camp and earn it,” said Heat President Pat Riley on Friday, several hours before the option was exercised.
Throughout his career, Whiteside has maintained an average of 13.4 points and 11.4 rebounds across seven seasons with Miami and Sacramento. In the 2015-16 season, he topped the NBA in blocks per game and followed that by leading in rebounds per game in the subsequent season.
He ranks third in all-time blocks for Miami, following Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade, and fifth in all-time rebounds, after Udonis Haslem, Mourning, Rony Seikaly, and Wade.
