An intriguing name surfaced on the free agency market in late August, and it arrives with an obvious Warriors angle. Cam Whitmore is available after being waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the Peyton Watson sign-and-trade, and Golden State is still trying to sort out its training camp roster.
But if the Warriors are looking at Whitmore, they’re staring at a familiar kind of gamble - one that looks a lot like the Jonathan Kuminga experience.
Whitmore is the sort of young forward teams talk themselves into: productive when the ball is in his hands, loaded with talent, and still searching for the kind of consistent impact that turns flashes into real winning. That’s the same broad conversation Kuminga has lived in for much of his career. The difference is that Kuminga has already done more at the NBA level, and he’s now with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a free agency deal that comes with the expectation he’ll open the season as their starting power forward.
Whitmore is still hunting for his next shot after 119 career games.
And while the fit with Golden State doesn’t exactly leap off the page, the idea isn’t completely without appeal. Whitmore, the former 20th overall pick, has been in the league with the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards, and the numbers say he can score.
He’s averaged 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in fewer than 18 minutes per game for his career. The shooting isn’t pristine - 45% from the field and 34.9% from 3-point range - but it’s enough to suggest there’s something there.
The catch is the same one that has shadowed Kuminga at times: Whitmore is a scorer first, and not a particularly clean one. He’s averaged more turnovers than assists over his three seasons, and he has not posted a positive plus-minus in any of them. Even last season with the Wizards, he was a -7.2 in 21 games.
That’s why it’s tough to picture Whitmore settling into a Steve Kerr system for long. The stylistic overlap with Kuminga is hard to ignore, and Golden State already moved on from that chapter less than seven months ago. There was also a fake report making the rounds on social media over the weekend, but the real story is simpler: Whitmore is available, and the Warriors could use another scorer after finishing 19th in offense last season.
Still, there’s one detail that keeps the door cracked open. Whitmore remains eligible for a two-way contract, and Golden State still has an open two-way spot. That would let the team take a look without putting much at risk, especially with three teams having now moved on from him in the last 14 months.
So while a move isn’t impossible, it still feels like a long shot. The temptation is real. The fit is another matter entirely.
In Other News...
Stephen Curry Could Make Warriors Wait On A Massive Decision
Stephen Currys next contract decision is shaping up to be one of the bigger long-view questions around the Warriors, even if the end result still feels obvious to most people around the league. He is eligible to work out an extension with Golden State under the NBAs Over 38 rule, and the expectation in league circles remains that he will finish his career where it started.
Still, there is a real timing element here that could matter for both sides. Multiple sources indicate Curry may choose to wait until next offseason before making his next move, which would give him the chance to become an unrestricted free agent and expand his options before settling on a final path. For now, the strong sense is that he stays attached to the Warriors, but the calendar could make the decision far more interesting than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors May Have Closed The Door On Seth Currys NBA Return
Seth Currys hopes of landing back with Golden State took another hit when the Warriors finalized their training camp roster without him, choosing to fill those spots with Brandon Williams, Georges Niang and Dalen Terry instead. Curry had made clear he was interested in a return, and the fit was easy to see on paper for a team that knows his shooting profile well, but the offseason has moved on without any reunion taking shape.
Two months into free agency, Curry still has not drawn reported interest from other teams, leaving his NBA future uncomfortably uncertain. Recent injury issues and limited playing time last season have only added to the doubt around where he fits next, and with training camp decisions already made in Golden State, the longer he remains unsigned, the harder it gets to picture a clean path back into the league. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Fans May See The Butler Wiggins Trade Differently Now
More than 18 months after Golden State swapped Andrew Wiggins for Jimmy Butler, the trade is starting to look a little different from the outside. Wiggins found something of a reset in Miami, where his role has been clearer and more stable than it had become with the Warriors, and the Heat have continued to reshape the roster around him. He also ended up back alongside Klay Thompson after Thompsons arrival in Miami, another twist that makes the deal feel less linear than it once did.
The bigger change is how Wiggins fits now: Miami has moved itself into a stronger contention position, and Wiggins remains part of that picture without having been the centerpiece of the Heats latest roster moves. He has also committed to staying there by opting into his player option and signing an extension, which gives the trade a more settled feel than many Warriors fans might have imagined at the time. What once looked like a clean one-for-one change of scenery now reads more like a transaction that kept opening new doors on both sides. [Read more 🡒]