A: I get this question about Whiteside more than any. If you don't want him to walk without getting something in return, then you likely have only two choices: offer him a full maximum contract in the offseason or deal him (as part of a package, because of his low salary and lack of Bird Rights) by the Feb. 18 trading deadline. So the question now is this: Are you prepared to commit a full max to Whiteside and then hope he commits to taking it in July? Because answers are expected here, I would think long and hard about what to do over these next six weeks. If there is any consistency, I probably would commit to paying whatever it takes, simply because of all the draft picks the Heat have passed on to others. It's not as if there will be any other pipeline for youth, except unearthing yet another Whiteside (and what are the odds of that?).