Cavaliers Waive Cam Whitmore

Cleveland acquired Whitmore eight days ago as part of the five-team Peyton Watson deal. Reporting at the time indicated that the Cavaliers were “still working through” what to do with Whitmore, which suggested he wasn’t in the team’s short- or long-term plans.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and The Stein Line subsequently reported that Cleveland was expected to waive Whitmore, who’s in the final year of his rookie scale contract. The Cavs will likely to use the stretch provision to spread Whitmore’s $5,458,310 salary across three seasons, reducing his 2026/27 cap hit to $1,819,437.

Whitmore was the 20th overall pick in the 2023 draft after one college season at Villanova. He spent his first two seasons with the Rockets, the team that drafted him, prior to being traded to the Wizards last offseason.

The 22-year-old’s lone season in Washington was cut short due to a serious health issue, a blood clot in his right shoulder. He appeared in 21 games for the Wizards in 2025/26 before the deep vein thrombosis was discovered.

Whitmore holds career averages of 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds on .450/.349/.742 shooting in splits in 119 NBA games (17.3 minutes per contest).

The Cavs still have some work to do to fill out their roster after releasing Whitmore, who will be an unrestricted free agent in a couple days if he clears waivers. They reportedly plan to sign a draft-rights rookie — 2022 second-rounder Khalifa Diop has been mentioned — to maximize their financial flexibility and give James Harden a major payday.