Cam Whitmore is back on the market, and the timing makes him one of the more interesting names to watch this summer.
Two days after the Cavaliers cut him, Whitmore cleared waivers on Sunday and is now an unrestricted free agent, according to RealGM’s official NBA transaction log. The 22-year-old wing still has plenty of buzz around him, even if his path through the league has already gotten a little bumpy.
Whitmore was once viewed as a possible top-five pick after his lone season at Villanova, but he slipped to No. 20 in the 2023 draft and ended up with Houston. As a rookie, he carved out a semi-regular role for the Rockets, averaging 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting .454/.359/.679 in 47 games, or 18.7 minutes a night.
He also showed off his scoring punch in the G League. With the Rio Grand Valley Vipers, Whitmore put up 26.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game on .475/.389/.800 shooting in 13 Tip-Off Tournament games, playing 35.0 minutes per contest.
His second season in Houston brought a smaller role. Whitmore averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 16.2 minutes across 51 appearances, shooting .444/.355/.750. He also logged 11 games with Rio Grand in year two, posting 19.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists on .503/.407/.700 shooting in 28.8 minutes per game.
Washington took a shot on him last summer, sending Houston two future second-round picks for the 6-foot-6 wing. But his first season with the Wizards was interrupted in mid-January, when he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder. In 21 games, he averaged 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds on .456/.286/.742 shooting in 16.9 minutes per game.
With Washington’s wing group crowded and no obvious runway for minutes, the Wizards moved him to Cleveland in a deal that brought back Tre Mann and a future second-round pick. The Cavaliers are reportedly planning to use the stretch provision on Whitmore’s $5.46 million contract over the next three seasons.
Now the question is what comes next. Whitmore is technically eligible for a two-way contract as a three-year veteran, but that would be a surprise given that he has spent the last three seasons on a rookie-scale deal. A one-year prove-it contract sounds more realistic, and the open question is which team will be willing to take the chance.
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