Hassan Whiteside has no ill feelings when it comes to his former team, the Miami Heat. The Portland Trail Blazers starting center had a falling out with the organization in his last two seasons, as he recovered from a slew of injuries and tried to regain his starting spot.
He was finally traded to the Blazers this summer and noted there was no real shock when he found out:
“My reaction to the trade was I didn’t have a reaction. I knew it was coming,” said Whiteside, according to Shandel Richardson of The Athletic. “I think we both wanted a change of scenery. I think my time in Miami kind of wore out. I’m happy for those guys. I still talk to the staff in Miami and I don’t have any ill will.”
Pressed for comment, Whiteside explained when he first knew his future with the Heat was nearing an end:
“We were working on something. It was something that I talked to them about, about getting traded,” he said. “We talked about it within the last two years. We figured it out. I wanted to go somewhere I can play more and be more of a guy on the court. It’s never been about anything but that. I always just wanted to play. I could’ve sat back and chilled and collected checks but I wanted to play.
“I’m a basketball player. I love this game. I was fine but I wanted to play. I talked to (team president Pat Riley). I talked to those guys. Those guys knew that if we could work something out and we can work a way to get me out of here, let’s do it. If it was a way I could’ve gotten out (earlier), I was all for it. They understood. The thing about getting traded is somebody else wants you. I’m grateful [for] this opportunity to be here in Portland.”
Whiteside is starting for the Blazers, but likely only until Jusuf Nurkic bounces back from a leg injury that ended his 2018-19 season prematurely and kept him on the sidelines to start this new campaign.
The big man is averaging 14.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 25.8 minutes per game to start this season. The Blazers have gotten off to a somewhat sluggish start after reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2018-19. Portland is just 3-4 and losers of two straight games, including a loss to a very shorthanded Warriors club.
Things won't get any easier for Whiteside and the Blazers on Thursday night as they travel to Staples Center for a date against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
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