Riley: Whiteside is our No. 1 priority

With four starters set to hit the open market this July, the Miami Heat certainly have their work cut out for them this summer.

And while Pat Riley would love to retain all four, the Heat president will be concentrating on one name when free agency opens.

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"He's our No. 1 priority, period," Riley told reporters on Wednesday. "Our No. 1 priority is Hassan Whiteside."

After signing a two-year, $1.75-million deal in 2014, Whiteside has outperformed his contract during his time in South Beach. After wowing NBA circles with last year's breakout campaign, Whiteside was even more impressive in 2015-16, averaging career highs in points (14.2), rebounds (11.8), and blocks (3.7).

"He'll be right there at 12:01 for us," Riley added.

Despite his young age (26), Whiteside is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and with plenty of teams willing to throw max money his way, he could prove difficult to re-sign.