Speculations have emerged that the Miami Heat could trade Chris Bosh in the summer as the team is said to be favoring to re-sign young big man Hassan Whiteside to a potential long term deal when he becomes a free agent this offseason.

The 32-year-old Bosh was again diagnosed with a blood clot recently, this time in his left calf, which had compelled him to prematurely end his stint with the Heat for the second consecutive season.

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Miami officials, players, and fans had expected that the Heat will fold up and slowly go down the standings with the exit of Bosh, but the team had actually "grown stronger and faster" with the arrival of veteran wingman Joe Johnson, who had replaced the 11-time All-Star in the starting lineup.

Without Bosh, Miami climbed to the fourth spot of the Eastern Conference standings with a 43-30 record, only a game behind third-running Atlanta Hawks and nine games adrift of conference leaders Cleveland Cavaliers.

This surprising scenario prompted the Miami New Times to report that the Heat "doesn't need Chris Bosh anymore".

The report also said that Whiteside is "flourishing without Bosh, whose game forced the Heat to play at a slower, plodding pace", thus making the 26-year-old seven-footer enjoy his best statistical season so far in the NBA.

Whiteside is currently averaging 14.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, and an NBA-leading 3.7 blocks per game in 29.0 minutes a night. He is also shooting an exceptionally high 61.7 percent from the field.

The former Marshall standout is thriving without Bosh and it seems like Miami is favoring to retain him when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer rather than keeping the former Big Three member.

Fansided's Cody Williams noted that Whiteside may also be keen on staying with the Heat even if he does not get offered a max or close to max salary because "there is an undeniable sense of familiarity with the roster as the team is the one that gave him a chance".

Williams also said that Whiteside's impressive performance this season is not only a sign that he has "a rapport with his teammates and the organization, but he also has to feel some sort of emotional connection with the franchise for giving him the opportunity to shine in the NBA," something that could lead him to want to stay in Miami for the rest of his career.

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors 2016, Miami Heat, Hassan Whiteside, chris bosh, Heat trade rumors, Joe Johnson