Cam Whitmore enters NBA purgatory after trade

Concerns about Cam Whitmore's passing and personality caused him to drop out of the lottery in the 2023 NBA Draft. Now he's in danger of dropping out of the NBA entirely.

The Washington Wizards sent the No. 20 pick from 2023 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the five-team trade that sent Peyton Watson to the Cavs. However, Cleveland seems likely to trade or waive the fourth-year forward rather than pay him $5.4M.

Cam Whitmore has shown why he dropped in the draft

Before the 2023 draft, Whitmore was considered a surefire lottery pick, after one season at Villanova where he was named Big East Freshman of the Year. But a series of poor predraft workouts and poor predraft interviews, Whitmore dropping all the way to the Houston Rockets at the 20th pick.

Whitmore is an explosive athlete, with great strength and speed for his 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame. He's proved he can get to the basket and score, but that's been the extent of his strong NBA skills. Whitmore averaged only 0.7 assists in college and has been only slightly better in the pros, averaging 0.8 assists against 0.9 turnovers.

He's also been a disinterested defender in his NBA career, getting benched by the Wizards last season thanks to his poor defense and lack of passing. A blood clot issue ended Whitmore's season before he could rejoin the rotation, but he's yet to prove he can contribute to winning in the NBA.

Cam Whitmore needs a better attitude and situation

One drawback to Whitmore starting out with the Rockets and moving on to the Wizards is that he faced a great deal of competition from other young wings. The Rockets had Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Jalen Green fighting for playing time, not to mention incumbent starting small forward Dillon Brooks. The Wizards had Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley at the wings.

Perhaps Whitmore got used to being the most talented player on his team. In the NBA, especially for young players, it's hard to get playing time without playing defense, playing team basketball and playing hard — and Whitmore was lacking in all three areas.

It's not too late for Whitmore, who only turned 22 in July. At this point, rosters are mostly set and NBA teams don't care that he was a five-star college recruit or played in the McDonald's All-American game. The general manager who drafted him and the GM who traded for him have both given up on him, so no one feels obligated to Whitmore.

In theory, he could help the veteran Cavaliers, but as an aspiring title contender, they may not have the luxury of developing Whitmore further. They also might prefer getting the $3.6M in salary relief by waiving and stretching their new wing.

Whitmore looks likely to end up in the G League at this point. Playing for his NBA future may be what it takes for Whitmore to realize he's no longer a star, and transform himself into a useful NBA player.