3 Buyout candidates Golden State Warriors must pursue

Golden State Warriors’ targets: Hassan Whiteside

Do you remember when Hassan Whiteside exploded onto the scene in Miami? It was a truly weird situation where a player who had gone relatively unnoticed all of a sudden became a walking double-double.

Yes, Whiteside benefited from being a freakishly athletic seven-footer in an era where teams were first learning how to play small-ball. His size allowed him to punish teams who hadn’t quite figure out how to space the floor and as a result, Whiteside rattled off some monstrous performances in Miami with 10 games of 5+ blocks in his breakout season.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Whitesides’ impact to phase out. He’s been rendered useless in many scenarios where his lack of lateral quickness and basketball IQ has limited him defensively. He’s also a restricted offensive player who can’t be asked to do much more than dunk the ball.

This is something the Golden State Warriors can work with. They could use some additional size and a more reliable center to eat up minutes while James Wiseman stumbles through his rookie season. Whiteside would become even more valuable next season when the Dubs get serious about winning games. It certainly helps to have a player with Whiteside’s physical attributes.

Some may argue that adding Whiteside would only slow Wiseman’s development. And, this is a fair point. However, it’s also possible that a bit of competition could help Wiseman rise to the occasion.