The Knicks still have room to maneuver, and one name being floated as a possible fit is Cam Whitmore.
New York has two standard roster spots open and all three of its two-way slots available, giving the team some real flexibility as it looks to keep building around Jalen Brunson. The appeal here is obvious: the Knicks can go veteran, or they can take a swing on a young player who still has room to grow.
That’s where Whitmore comes in. Daily Knicks’ Dan Favale argued New York should take the chance, writing, “Let him prove himself inside a championship infrastructure.
They have the on- and off-court dynamics to remake him. If it all goes to you-know-what, the Knicks can move on.
No muss, no fuss. But if it works out, they may just stumble into their next, perhaps most impactful, stab-in-the-dark success story,” Favale wrote.
Whitmore’s path has already gotten bumpy despite how early he is in his career. The Cleveland Cavaliers waived him after acquiring him in a five-team trade, and he now becomes a player other teams can evaluate without much risk attached.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived Cam Whitmore, league sources told hoopshype. Whitmore, the 20th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, has averaged 10.5 points on 45% from the field and 35% from 3-point range in 17.3 minutes during three NBA seasons with the Rockets and Wizards,” HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto wrote.
There’s no question about the talent. The question has been whether he can put it all together and convince a team that he can consistently make the most of it. New York would at least give him the setting to try.
At $15 million on his rookie contract before Cleveland waived him, Whitmore is exactly the kind of upside play the Knicks can consider if they want depth now and a possible long-term payoff later. Surrounded by Brunson and a group of experienced veterans, he’d have a chance to reset his career in a place built to support that kind of gamble.
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For the Knicks, the miss is another reminder that filling out the back end of the roster is now a real priority, not a luxury. They are still looking for players who can stick through camp and give the staff some options, but the Simmons pursuit showed how far they were willing to go and, just as important, how much they still need to settle before opening night arrives. [Read more 🡒]
