Rockets made a crucial error by accepting pathetic Cam Whitmore return

The Houston Rockets were always going to trade Cam Whitmore.

I'd be a hypocrite to suggest I didn't advocate for a deal. If I linked you to every piece I wrote criticizing the young wing, you'd fall into a wormhole you couldn't get out of.

Whitmore had to go. His defiant unwillingness to pass or wake up on defense didn't suit a team with title aspirations. The Rockets didn't have time to develop him. Trading him was the right move:

But they shouldn't have given him away.

Rockets receive a pathetic return for young wing

Two second-round picks.

That's about as close to "nothing" as exists in the NBA. The Rockets could have cut Whitmore, and it would have made scarcely any difference.

It's what the Rockets got from the Wizards in exchange for Whitmore. Frankly, that's an unacceptable return. For all Whitmore's flaws, he's got the potential to far exceed that type of return in terms of market value.

This is a 20-year-old wing who has averaged 22.5 points per 75 possessions with a 55.5 True Shooting % (TS%) through two years of NBA basketball. There's been sufficient focus on Whitmore's flaws - once more, we're talking about a 7.4 Assist Percentage - but he's demonstrated his ability to get a bucket. If he could bump that TS% up a few notches, we're talking about a highly efficient scoring wing.

Would he ever have been able to do that in Houston?

Rockets didn't have a place for Whitmore

No.

The writing has been on the wall all year for Whitmore. Once they acquired Dorian Finney-Smith, his goose was cooked. Finney-Smith is a vastly superior defender and a more reliable floor spacer. He'll be able to play the role the Rockets needed Whitmore to play.

Moreover, it was never viable to force a square peg into a round hole. Whitmore isn't a 3-and-D wing - he's a scorer. Trying to turn him into a role player never made sense, but neither did giving him the role he wanted.

In a vacuum, this is a non-story. Drafting a player with the 20th pick and moving him for two future seconds is standard NBA business. In Whitmore's case, we're talking about a player who'd garnered serious lottery consideration before slipping in the draft. The Rockets were supposed to get more from him - or, at least for him.

It's not that trading Whitmore was a mistake. Giving him away for virtually nothing was. Let's be honest: Kevin Durant is likely to miss games this year. The Rockets could have plugged Whitmore into his role when he was injured and showcased his ability leading up to the trade deadline.

If he doesn't boost his value? Sure, trade him for a pair of seconds at the deadline. At that point, he'll be set for contract negotiations that clearly aren't going anywhere. Still, the Rockets should have waited until the last possible moment before giving Whitmore away:

Even if trading him was always the objective.