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Hassan Whiteside is staying with the Miami Heat.
A person familiar with the terms of the agreement tells The Associated Press that Whiteside will be signing a four-year contract worth the maximum amount the Heat could offer, roughly $98 million. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be finalized and signed before July 7.
Whiteside made his announcement Friday on Snapchat and through a post on The Players' Tribune, a few hours after he met with the Heat and the Dallas Mavericks in New York to hear their sales pitches. He went into those meetings leaning toward the Heat, and apparently emerged even more convinced that staying with the franchise that helped him resuscitate his career was the best move.
"I've played on eight teams since college — from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China," Whiteside wrote on Players' Tribune. "I am not ready for there to be a ninth. I have decided to re-sign with Miami. I just wanted to take this time to tell all the fans how much you mean to this team, and to me. Can't wait to get back to work and try to bring another championship to Miami."
It is life-changing money after a breakout season. Whiteside will be signing a contract worth roughly 100 times more than what he made this past season, when he averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and a league-best 3.7 blocked shots per game. His career path is well-known, taking him to less-than-glamorous leagues in Lebanon and China, stints in the NBA Development League and even getting cut from teams at that level.
"Big big congrats to @youngwhiteside," Heat free agent guard Dwyane Wade tweeted Friday morning. "Your dedication and hard work to the game has finally paid off."
Wade ended his tweet with the hashtag, "Caniborrow5dollars," a nod to the financial stratosphere Whiteside will soon enter.
The Heat signed him in November 2014, and less than two years later Whiteside has become one of the game's most dominant centers — and one of the highest-paid players in Miami franchise history.
Part of that is simply because of the enormous jump in the salary cap this summer, but part of that is because of the potential the Heat see in Whiteside. What he did this past season left such an impression on Heat President Pat Riley that the nine-time NBA champion went into this summer stating publicly that keeping Whiteside was Miami's No. 1 priority.
If that truly was the case, especially given the uncertainty over Chris Bosh's status going forward because of how his last two seasons ended early due to blood clots, then keeping Wade had to be priority No. 1A. It took a $20 million deal for the Heat to keep Wade this past season, and negotiations on a new deal haven't gone particularly well so far.
But Whiteside is staying and made his announcement with flair.
On his Snapchat video, someone asks Whiteside, "Hey cuz, where you gonna sign?"
Whiteside replies, "Miami," — as Will Smith's hit "Welcome to Miami" plays and the words "Heatnation it is" appear on the screen.
"Congrats to the big fella," Bosh wrote Friday on Twitter. "Great to have you back bro!"
For the Mavericks, it's the second consecutive year where they fell short on the chase for a marquee center.
Dallas had a commitment from DeAndre Jordan last summer, in what seemed like a huge move for the Mavs before it turned into a peculiar farce. In the days between that non-binding verbal agreement being reached and the end of the league's summer moratorium on player movement — meaning when a contract could actually be signed — Jordan had a change of heart and decided to return to the Los Angeles Clippers.
And the Heat are far from done in the free agency chases; they remain scheduled to sit down with Kevin Durant on Sunday.
DeRozan staying in Toronto
DeMar DeRozan turned the biggest year of his career into a very big contract.
The All-Star shooting guard is staying with the Toronto Raptors and agreed early Friday on the basic framework of a five-year deal, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press. DeRozan and the Raptors still had some financial terms to complete but the sides agreed that he would be staying put, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the talks were ongoing.
USA Today Sports first reported that DeRozan and the Raptors had reached a deal.
DeRozan can sign on or after July 7, when the league's offseason moratorium on player movement expires. He averaged a career-best 23.5 points this past season for the Raptors, becoming only the third Toronto player to ever score at such a pace — joining Vince Carter and Chris Bosh.
Keeping DeRozan was an absolute top priority for the Raptors. He's wildly popular in Toronto and has been throughout each of his first seven pro seasons, but probably never more than he is now. The Raptors are coming off the best season in team history, one where they won 56 games and were one of the NBA's last four teams left in the postseason.
Batum re-signs with Charlotte
The Charlotte Hornets lived up to their word when they said re-signing Nicolas Batum was their top priority in free agency.
Batum agreed to terms on a five-year, $120 million contract with the Hornets Friday morning, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be signed until July 7.
The Frenchman gradually solidified himself as a superb two-way player over his first six seasons in Portland. But there was a major drop-off in production in his seventh season, and Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey shipped him to Charlotte for Noah Vonleh and Gerald Henderson before last season.