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Portland Trail Blazers: 3 Free Agency destinations for Hassan Whiteside

By Stevie Cozens

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 07:Portland Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the Portland Trail Blazers game versus the Los Angeles Clippers game on November 7, 2019, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 07:Portland Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the Portland Trail Blazers game versus the Los Angeles Clippers game on November 7, 2019, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Whiteside destination number two – Detroit Pistons

Similar to the Hornets, the Pistons have sap space but also have a severe lack of big men on their roster. After dumping franchise center Andre Drummond for a bag of potato chips, the Pistons have not one center on their roster for the 2021 season.

With max salary player and 2019 All-Star Blake Griffin still out with a severe injury, the Pistons are deep in rebuild mode. The last thing on their mind will be any playoff aspirations, so taking a punt on a short-term balloon payment for Whiteside may make sense.

Outside of Griffin and Derrick Rose, the Pistons lack some older players who can provide on-court production. If there’s one thing Whiteside does do consistently, it is providing reliable production. They need a center that can perform the core roles, and if Griffin does end up being fit at the power forward position, those two could be a great fit together.

The Pistons have around $40 million in cap space and will almost certainly have problems luring free agents to town. Their rim defense and rebounding were both terrible in the 2020 regular season, so Whiteside could plug right in, making a difference instantly.

Maybe they draft a young big man to play the five longterm, but for now, Whiteside at around $14 – $18 million for one season, is perfect.

They have the cap space to fit him in, and he can either backup a young raw center, or be the main guy and support someone that the Pistons pick in the NBA Draft.

Right at the beginning of their rebuild, someone like Whiteside would provide competent center play while being a reliable player to use their ample cap space on.