Veteran center Hassan Whiteside is reportedly on the move yet again heading into the 2021-22 season.
According to reports from ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the 7-foot big man is taking his talents to Salt Lake City to play for the Utah Jazz.
Free agent C Hassan Whiteside has agreed to a deal with the Utah Jazz, @excelbasketball agent Sean Kennedy tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 4, 2021
Whiteside just completed a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Sacramento Kings — the same team that drafted him with the No. 33 overall pick back in 2010. Through 36 games and four starts this past season, the nine-year NBA vet logged just 8.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game — marking the first year of his career without averaging a double-double since his first two seasons in the league with Sacramento.
Despite his declining production in 2020, the two-time NBA blocks leader should be a solid addition to the Utah depth chart behind Rudy Gobert.
Whiteside will join Turkish veteran Ersan Ilyasova and second-year big man Udoka Azubuike behind the three-time defensive player of the year — hopefully providing a more stable presence down low when Gobert is off the floor.
In 2020-21, Ilyasova and Azubuike combined for just 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game as reserve big men.
With the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019-20, Whiteside averaged a massive 15.5-point, 13.5-rebound double-double. The Jazz would certainly love to see a return to that level of play as they look to make another deep playoff run in 2021-22.
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