Nuggets' pursuit of Cam Whitmore proves the Rockets were right to dump him

The Rockets moved on from Cam Whitmore long ago, but some teams are still desperate enough to reach for him. Denver is reportedly interested in pursuing him now after he was cut by the Cavaliers following a multi-team trade. As we all know at this point, the Nuggets are in a financial hole and looking to add cheap talent by any means necessary. If a player is being targeted by them, odds are that he's worn out his welcome across the other 29 NBA teams.

There's very little interest left in Whitmore

Whitmore's issues with efficiency, defense and attitude in the NBA have been well-documented. He fell in the NBA Draft down to the Rockets at pick 20 in 2023 because of those exact concerns, despite showing a lot of talent in college. Unfortunately all of the scouting report's worst fears about him have come true so far in his young career.

Unlike other flawed Rockets prospects, Whitmore hasn't even shown a noticeable redeeming trait in the NBA. He's been ineffective at practically every aspect of the game on a night-to-night basis. Even though he can produce jaw-dropping highlights on occasion, his production has lacked any semblance of consistency. Even on rebuilding teams, he's struggled to earn playing time because his personality has also clashed with the values that coaches try to instill.

It's no wonder then that the Cavaliers promptly waived him after their huge trade to acquire Peyton Watson. Cleveland is clearly in win-now mode and has no need for a player with theoretical potential like Whitmore that's never contributed to a winning NBA team.

Denver's interest is a nail in the coffin

Whitmore is very close to the end of his NBA career if something doesn't change drastically. The Nuggets are a rare team who might be willing to take a flyer on him because they have so few options to improve their team without going over the second apron. Just this offseason, they've had to make cost-cutting measure such as shipping out the aforementioned Watson and signing Demar DeRozan on a minimum contract.

The Nuggets are clearly lacking in athleticism on their roster and Whitmore can hopefully bring that at least. But Denver needs its athletes to defend hard and shoot threes efficiently, neither of which have been strong suits for Whitmore. Even this final straw might not be enough to save his NBA future because Whitmore doesn't necessarily fit the Nuggets' scheme around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

The Rockets got out ahead of the pack on Whitmore in 2025 when they traded him. Now, just a year later, he finds himself bouncing between teams and only garnering any interest from the most desperate teams that don't even have a good role for him.

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