Mavericks will meet with Hassan Whiteside on July 1, per report

The Dallas Mavericks are expected to land a meeting with Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside once free agency begins on July 1, according to ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon.

Whiteside is considered one of the top free agents and, arguably, the top center available this summer, so of course the Mavericks would be interested in the 7-foot big man who just turned 27 years old.

The calls will be coming in hot for Whiteside, who had a career year in 2015. He averaged 14.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and nearly four blocks per game as Miami's man in the middle, and was a key reason why the Heat advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

With this news, the Mavericks' complicated free agency plans seem to be coming to fruition. MacMahon reported Wednesday that Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is the initial target for Dallas, and it appears Whiteside will follow afterwards.

We wrote about why Whiteside would be a great fit for Dallas on the basketball court, although obviously his off-the-floor concerns are a major factor in this decision.