Portland Trail Blazers big man Hassan Whiteside has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. After being shipped off by the Miami Heat to Portland as part of a four-team trade centered around Jimmy Butler, Whiteside has been absolutely outstanding for the Blazers all season long.
Despite his resurgence, however, it appears that Portland's front office is still looking at the possibility of placing Whiteside on the block before we hit the February trade deadline. According to Jason Quick of the Athletic, Blazers team president for basketball operations Neil Olshey is seriously considering trading away the 7-foot center within the next couple of weeks.
So in other words, I don’t believe Olshey is robo-calling each team trying to unload Whiteside. But he will certainly entertain offers. I would put Whiteside’s chances of staying in Portland at 50/50 right now.
Right now, Whiteside is averaging 15.6 points (on 59.8 percent shooting), 14.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and a league-leading 3.0 blocks in 30.7 minutes per contest. The 30-year-old has done a very admirable job as the team's starting center, with Jusuf Nurkic still on the road to recovery from his fractured leg.
This, perhaps, is one of the main reasons why Olshey is open to parting ways with Whiteside. According to reports, Nurkic is targeting a return at some point around the All-Star break, so the 25-year-old should still be able to play a pivotal role for the squad this season. Whiteside might turn out to be surplus to requirements upon Nurkic's return, which makes selling high now on Hassan Whiteside a pretty attractive prospect.
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