Somewhat lost in the Kevin Durant/Dwight Howard/Al Horford/Demar DeRozan shuffle was Hassan Whiteside, the towering center that emerged over the last two seasons as one of the most intimidating defensive presences in the NBA. Rumors had Whiteside potentially taking the max to join either Los Angeles or Dallas, but just after dawn today, the first day of free agency, Whiteside revealed that he isn’t going anywhere.

While the full details of his new deal have yet to be revealed, Whiteside revealed via The Player’s Tribune that he would be returning to the Miami heat in a short blog post. “I’ve played for eight teams since college … I’m not ready for there to be a ninth.”

I’ve played on eight teams since college — from Reno to Sioux Falls to Sichuan, China.

I am not ready for there to be a ninth.

I have decided to re-sign with Miami. I just wanted to take this time to tell all the fans how much you mean to this team, and to me.

Can’t wait to get back to work and try to bring another championship to Miami. #HeatNation

Whiteside re-signing is a huge victory for Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, who now have to work diligently to retain their superstar guard Dwyane Wade, with whom talks have reportedly slowed, and valuable wing Luol Deng, who could be meeting with Tom Thibodeau and the Minnesota Timberwolves about his future this week.

Reports indicate that Whiteside inked a four-year max deal, but its monetary value is still being kept under wraps.

July 1, 2016