Wizards may have gotten next breakout star in trade with Rockets

The 20th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Whitmore turns 21 on July 8 and will celebrate it by landing in the DMV area, where he grew up. That familiarity, plus a potential runway for minutes, could be the recipe for a leap.

Whitmore showed flashes in Houston despite limited opportunity. He averaged 10.8 points per game over two seasons and ranked fourth in the NBA last year with 0.46 points per touch among players with at least 1,000 touches. In short, when he gets the ball, he makes something happen.

D.C. needs that. Badly. Only two second-round picks for Whitmore is ideal. Their new sixth man, possibly?

The Wizards have leaned into their rebuild, but outside of the Core 4 (Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, AJ Johnson and Bilal Coulibaly), also sixth overall pick Tre Johnson, there’s not much long-term depth. Whitmore is a high-flyer with shot creation potential, and with little pressure to win now, head coach Brian Keefe can hand him the keys to a larger role.

Plus, the Rockets didn’t deal him lightly. Houston worked with Whitmore and his agency, WME Basketball, over the past few weeks to find the right landing spot. Washington checks the boxes — minutes, development focus, and proximity to home.

For the Wizards, it’s the classic low-risk, high-reward play. For Whitmore, it’s a fresh start with the spotlight all on the youth; the vets are most likely buyout candidates.

He’s been waiting to shine. Now he’s got the stage.