The Rockets officially reached a deal of 1 for 2 on White Devils! Whitmore joins the Wizards and Houston won two second rounds of signings

On July 6, according to famous reporter Shams, the Rockets have agreed to trade forward Cam Whitmore to the Wizards. Shams revealed that the Rockets will exchange for two second-round picks in return. Follow-up report updates, these two second rounds are the Bulls' second round pick in 2026 and the Kings' second round pick in 2029.

Whitmore is a Maryland native and will turn 21 this week. He was selected by the Rockets from Villanova University with the 20th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Given that he was generally optimistic about entering the top ten or even the top five picks before the draft, this signing was regarded as a "battery pick" for the Rockets at that time.

However, despite Whitmore showing great potential as a substitute scorer in the first two seasons of the NBA, he has never been able to secure his rotation position in the Rockets with a strong lineup. In the two seasons of 2023-2025, he played in a total of 98 games, averaged 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 17.4 minutes, shooting percentage of 44.9%, three-point shooting percentage of 35.7%, and free throw shooting percentage of 70.7%.

Shams said the Rockets have been communicating with Whitmore and his agents over the past few weeks, seeking to find a new home for him. For the Wizards, who are in the rebuilding period and urgently need young players to grow into long-term cores, Whitmore is expected to have more important and stable playing time. There are currently 7 players 21 and under in the Wizards' rotation lineup, namely: Saar, Kulibaly, Trae Johnson, Whitmore, AJ Johnson, Carrington, and Keeshaun George

Wizards' management quickly formed a core team with great potential and looks forward to winning a top rookie in the 2026 draft.

For the Rockets, after the signing of Durant and Capela officially took effect, the team's salary is on the verge of the hard salary cap of the No. 1 rich line, and this transaction will create more salary flexibility for them.

On the other hand, the Wizards have sufficient salary exceptions to receive Whitmore's annual salary of $3.54 million. They are expected to use the $5.3 million trade special case they received when trading Johnny Davis in February, but the team also holds a larger amount of trade special case, as well as middle class special case and biennial special case to choose from. The Wizards need to decide whether to execute Whitmore's 2026-27 season's team options by October 31 this year. If the team chooses to execute this option, he will be eligible for an early renewal of his rookie contract in a year.

It is reported that before the Rockets reached a deal with the Wizards, teams such as the Bulls and Nuggets also expressed varying degrees of interest in Whitmore.