The Houston Rockets are trading forward Cam Whitmore to the Washington Wizards for two second-round picks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. The second-rounders are for 2026 and 2029, according to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.
Whitmore, who will turn 21 on July 8, was a 2023 first-round pick (No. 20 overall) by the Rockets out of Villanova. He was Houston’s second first-round selection that year, following Amen Thompson.
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Last season, Whitmore averaged 9.4 points and three rebounds per game, shooting 36% on 183 3-point attempts. Those numbers were down from his rookie season, when he scored 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, also shooting 36% on 220 3-point shots.
Yet Whitmore averaged 49 games in his two seasons with the Rockets, also playing in the G League to get minutes and develop. In 24 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, he scored 23 points with 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 40% on 3-pointers.
With the Rockets’ roster overhaul, Whitmore didn’t project to get more playing time and develop further as an NBA prospect. Houston added Kevin Durant in a blockbuster deal that could eventually involve seven teams and add center Clint Capela. The team also signed Dorian Finney-Smith, while agreeing to contract extensions with Steven Adams and 2022 first-round pick Jabari Smith.
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Meanwhile, the Wizards are continuing their rebuild after finishing last in the Eastern Conference with an 18-64 record. The team added guard Tre Johnson and 7-footer Alex Sarr with their past two first-round draft picks, which could be the basis of a young core with Whitmore, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly.
Washington also traded Jordan Poole to the New Orleans Pelicans for CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk, who could provide some veteran leadership in addition to salary cap space for a possible impact move during the 2026 offseason.
