The Kevin Durant-led Houston Rockets didn’t complete another blockbuster trade on Saturday, but they did make a surprising adjustment to their roster.
The organization was fleeced in a deal that sent a promising 6-foot-7 forward to the Washington Wizards for two second-round picks.
"The Houston Rockets are trading Cam Whitmore to the Washington Wizards for two second-round picks,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote Saturday. “The deal gives Whitmore a tremendous opportunity for an increased role as he turns 21 on Tuesday and returns to the DMV area.”
"The Rockets worked with Whitmore, the No. 20 pick in 2023, and his reps at WME Basketball over the last few weeks on a new home. Whitmore has averaged 10.8 points over two years -- last season scoring 0.46 points per touch, 4th-best among players to record 1,000 touches.”
Whitmore enjoyed an encouraging rookie campaign with the Rockets in 2023-24, averaging 12.3 points per game on 45.4% field goal shooting and 35.9% from three-point land.
This past season, however, head coach Ime Udoka tightened up his rotation and didn’t give the Villanova product as many opportunities to progress in Houston.
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Still, Whitmore, a decisive slasher known for utilizing his strength to his advantage in the paint, contributed 9.4 points on 44.4% field goal shooting and 35.5% long-range shooting on a Rockets squad that reached the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
With Whitmore being a high-upside asset still in his early 20s, there’s no valid excuse for Houston failing to secure a first-round pick in the Saturday afternoon exchange.
Many believed the former first-round pick could assume a significant offensive role in 2025-26, with Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green departing, making the transaction lopsided in every way imaginable.
However, it would be ludicrous to disregard the fact that the new-look Rockets have plenty to be excited about moving forward.
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