One more quirk: Whiteside won't be a restricted free agent after the fourth year like a first-round pick would be. He'll be unrestricted, which means the Kings wouldn't be able to sit back and match the best offer. Whiteside, as a second-round pick, could have only been a restricted free agent if his contract went three years or fewer. The Kings will have his Bird rights, and as such can exceed the salary cap (under current rules) to keep him. But they won't have the blanket of RFA to help out. (It's a real trade-off — the Kings opted for the definitely cheap fourth year over insurance of the risk of losing him in 2014.)