Chicago Bulls: An early look at 5 free agent big men
By Ryan Heckman
4. Center Hassan Whiteside, Unrestricted
It’s kind of funny going from a guy like Meyers Leonard earlier to Hassan Whiteside now. The parallels are interesting. Leonard is coming off a 4-year deal he originally signed with Portland, but he’s now with Miami. Whiteside, meanwhile, is coming off a 4-year deal he originally signed with Miami, but spent this last season with Portland.
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Whiteside is more of a defensive-minded center who blew up with the Heat back in 2015. Over the 2015-2016 season, Whiteside led the league in blocks with an impressive 3.7 per game. The following season, he led the NBA in rebounds at a mark of 14.1 per contest.
Most recently, during his first season with the Blazers, Whiteside was amidst another league-leading season, topping the NBA in blocks per game once more at a mark of 3.1.
This offseason, Whiteside will likely command a decent salary, thus he would need to be the primary focus of the Bulls if they were to pursue him. As I’ve touched on, we’re not exactly sure what Karnisovas is going to do with this roster. If he decides to move on from Wendell Carter Jr. or Lauri Markkanen, who knows where the team will go from there.
If it becomes plausible, I would love the idea of Whiteside in Chicago. He’s a nasty defender with a physical, unrelenting mentality in the paint. Dreaming of a center depth of Whiteside and Daniel Gafford — now that’s a dynamic duo right there. Gafford would take a lot from Whiteside.