This completely avoidable mess, of course, has been created by Whiteside and his immaturity and lack of respect for the Heat organization. Thanks to him, the center's trade value hasn't been this low since he was a D-League player whom few teams had on their radar. Not only can every team with a Wi-Fi connection plainly see Whiteside and the Heat are having issues, but they can also see who Whiteside still is: a player who constantly lets his attitude and selfishness get in the way of his huge talents.
Miami has given Whiteside every chance to succeed, and at every turn, he's blamed someone else for his failures. Not only does he blame the Heat — the organization that plucked him out of obscurity, helped him improve as a player, and rewarded him in 2016 with a $100 million contract — but he also continues to make his gripes known publicly.
Dumb move, Whiteside. If you want the Heat to trade you, your constant complaining makes it that much harder.
Not only does showing a public rift with the Heat ruin the team's leverage with potential trade partners, but it also makes those same teams think twice about acquiring Whiteside. Shouldn't this be obvious? Who is giving Whiteside career advice, LaVar Ball? Nobody wants someone else's problem. Whiteside is a car with obvious engine trouble. No one pays full price for a car with glaring issues.
The latest example of Whiteside making the genius move of throwing shade at the Heat came last week when he took to social media to let the entire world know he's capable of filming a McDonald's commercial in an empty gym.
How is this helping anyone? Everyone respects the Heat; few trust Whiteside as far as they can throw him. Yet he wants to have a public spat. This looks worse for him than it does for the Heat. Everyone has seen what the team has endured with him. Tales have been told of how the organization has had to babysit him off the court. The entire NBA wondered if the Heat would trust him enough to give him a max contract.Hassan Whiteside — "There's a difference between 'you can't shoot and you're not allowed’ [to shoot]" pic.twitter.com/vgQ9yiT3sJ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 23, 2018
Now everyone's worries are coming to fruition. Whiteside is making a fool of himself on the heels of one of the worst playoff series performances anyone has ever seen. He's coming off an injury-plagued season in which he was completely average and outplayed by his backup, rookie Bam Adebayo, who isn't old enough to buy a drink but carries himself as more of an adult than Whiteside ever has ever carried himself.
Whiteside got his money. He's rich. He can pretty much do whatever he wants. But if he wants to have a memorable career in Miami or anywhere else, he'll eventually have to grow up.