Heat Fully Guarantee Hassan Whiteside’s Salary

The Heat have turned Hassan Whiteside‘s partially guaranteed salary for this coming season into a fully guaranteed salary, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The big man had previously been assured only 50% of the $981,348 three-year veteran’s minimum that his contract calls for him make this season, though little chance existed that Miami would have released Whiteside before the full salary was to have locked in on December 1st. Thus, today’s move essentially amounts to a goodwill gesture on the part of the Heat, with the Sean Kennedy client set to hit unrestricted free agency in July 2016.

Teams and players under contract are free to alter clauses that pertain to the amount of guaranteed salary if they mutually consent to doing so, and the Heat already made one such adjustment this summer. Miami’s deal with James Ennis was to have become 50% guaranteed on August 1st, but instead the sides agreed to keep his salary non-guaranteed until opening night, when a full guarantee would kick in. Other clubs have adjusted contracts in a fashion more similar to what the Heat have done with Whiteside. Last year, the Bucks guaranteed Kendall Marshall‘s full salary more than two months ahead of his scheduled guarantee date.

Whiteside becomes the 13th Heat player with a fully guaranteed contract. Half of Tyler Johnson‘s salary is guaranteed, while Ennis, Corey Hawkins, Keith Benson and Greg Whittington have non-guaranteed salaries.

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