Boston Celtics: 3 free agents Cs should have pursued this offseason

Hassan Whiteside

That Hassan Whiteside signed for the veteran’s minimum is one of the more surprising deals of the offseason. The Sacramento Kings tend to overpay players–we’re so looking right at you Harrison Barnes–but they got great value on the seven-footer.

Whiteside returns to the Kings after beginning his career there as an undrafted free agent. Like Isaiah Thomas, Whiteside truly erupted once he left Sacramento. While Thomas took some time before landing the perfect spot with the Boston Celtics, Whiteside was able to catch on with the Miami Heat almost immediately.

He was able to become a 17 point-14 rebound double-double monster under Erik Spoelstra in South Beach, but he was even productive last season in Portland. While Jusuf Nurkic’s return minimized his role in the lineup, Whiteside was still able to put up 15 points and grab 13 boards.

How did he end up with Sacramento? Especially on good value? Perhaps Danny Ainge avoided Whiteside because of past character concerns in South Beach; he didn’t take well to being benched for A’mare Stoudemire in 2016.

Otherwise the Kings got a steal of a deal, and the Houdini wishes the Cs could have been the ones having a vet’s minimum Whiteside on their roster.