Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra says he “enjoyed” working with center Hassan Whiteside despite there being rumored tension between the two.

The Heat traded Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers this summer, ending Whiteside's five-year run in South Beach.

“I enjoyed working with Hassan,” Spoelstra said, via Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. “And I think he'll look back on it at some point and think that we brought out a better level out of him.

“It's unfortunate the way some of the teams turned out and some of the adversities that we had, we weren't really able to see what was possible.”

Hassan Whiteside put up 12.3 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field last season for the Heat. He recorded 36 double-doubles, but was a negative on the defensive end of the floor.

The Blazers will start Whiteside while Jusuf Nurkic rehabs his leg injury. The Heat acquired Meyers Leonard from Portland in the Whiteside deal.

Whiteside was very vocal about his lack of playing time in the 2018 postseason and how Erik Spoelstra did not use him properly when he was on the floor. Whiteside has one-year left on his deal. He’ll make $27 million this season. He's no longer the Heat's headache.