The Houston Rockets are trading Cam Whitmore to the Washington Wizards in exchange for two second-round picks, ESPN's Shams Charania reports. The Wizards fleeced the Rockets in this deal, adding Whitmore to their young core for tremendous value.
Charania notes that Houston worked with Whitmore and his reps to find a landing spot, ultimately sending him close to his hometown of Odenton, Maryland. Still, you can't help but wonder if the Portland Trail Blazers could've offered more than that to add Whitmore to their up-and-coming roster instead.
Blazers could have used Cam Whitmore's upside
The Blazers' forward depth is especially thin after the departure of Jabari Walker. Portland questionably didn't extend a qualifying offer to Walker, which made him an unrestricted free agent. He then landed with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-way deal.
Whitmore isn't the same type of player as Walker, but would have been a perfect successor nonetheless. The Blazers need more upside on their roster, and Whitmore is a significant upgrade in that department over Walker.
After a draft-day slide, Whitmore was the No. 20 overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. But it was never a question of talent; Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman had Whitmore as the No. 9 overall selection, noting concerns over his medicals.
Whitmore has hovered around 50 games played in his first two seasons, so risk is involved here. But we're talking about two second-rounders -- the exact amount that general manager Joe Cronin forked over to Boston in the Jrue Holiday deal.
It appeared, if anything, that Portland should be the one receiving the draft capital because they are bailing out the Celtics by taking on Holiday's contract. You could even make a case that he's worth the Orlando Magic's future first-round pick they acquired from the Grizzlies by trading back in the draft.
This presented a golden buy-low opportunity for Portland to add upside to their roster with someone who fits their timeline and fills a position of need. Whitmore averaged 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists this past season on 44/36/75 shooting splits. His frame and athleticism would have fit in well with Portland's style of play as a team that thrives in transition, and his three-point shooting should only continue to develop past league average.
The Blazers missed out on an ideal addition to their core, which is becoming a theme throughout their surprising but relatively quiet offseason.