Rockets might be realizing they gave up on the wrong player too soon

The Houston Rockets were widely regarded as having had the best offseason in the entire NBA, but one move that many questioned was the decision to move on from Cam Whitmore after just two seasons. The decision to trade Whitmore in a three-team deal made some sense. The former first-rounder wasn't developing on a deep Rockets roster that only added more talent to the rotation during the offseason, so sending him to a place where he can thrive was admirable.

However, Whitmore showed flashes in the preseason for the Washington Wizards, and there is a very good chance that he will prove himself to be a solid player on his new team. The Rockets shouldn't be upset about the moves that they made in the offseason to bring in talent, but their decision to get rid of it in the form of Whitmore may come back to bite them.

The Rockets should have never traded Cam Whitmore

In the offseason, the Rockets added Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Clint Capela. That is a lot of talent coming in. The team has an exciting and still young core. Houston earned the two-seed last year on the back of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams, and Tari Eason, all of whom are back in town.

Now, the Rockets could take the next step forward and should be viewed as legitimate title contenders. Not everything is perfect in Houston, though. Fred VanVleet already suffered a torn ACL that will keep him out for the season. That injury raises significant questions about the Rockets' backcourt.

Houston is hopeful that Reed Sheppard will step up and live up to his pre-draft billing, but that is far from a guarantee after an uninspiring rookie campaign. Whitmore isn't a point guard, so he couldn't have filled the minutes left on the table by VanVleet's injury, but he could have helped take some of the backcourt pressure off Sheppard.

Whitmore has shown flashes of brilliance and is electric with the ball in his hands. He is an uber-talented slasher who is prone to highlight finishes at the rim. The attention he'd demand as a threat scoring at the rim could have opened things up for Sheppard to make plays for his teammates. Furthermore, Whitmore's ability to play the shooting guard position could have allowed Thompson to transition to full-time point guard duties, especially in the instance that Sheppard isn't able to contribute at a high level for a team needing to win right now.

Whitmore scored 8.5 points per game in the preseason for the Wizards, but more importantly, he knocked down 66.7% of his deep balls. That shows that the player, who was considered a draft-day steal when he was taken 20th overall, is developing in the areas that he needs to develop.

Even on a crowded Rockets team, Whitmore could have still found a role. After all, many of Houston's veterans are injury risks. Notably, Durant and Adams seem to miss time every year, and Finney-Smith is still dealing with an ankle issue. There was no downside to holding onto Whitmore for another year or two. He is still on a cheap rookie contract, and the Rockets got almost nothing in return for him when they traded him to the Wizards.

On a team like the Wizards that will afford him opportunities, Whitmore will likely have a lot of special moments. Each time he does so, the Rockets will certainly grimace just a little bit.