The Houston Rockets have been having the type of NBA offseason most teams dream of. Newcomers Kevin Durant, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Clint Capela have injected a sense of optimism into the fan base's veins, positioning the Rockets to be legitimate NBA championship contenders once the 2025-26 regular season begins.
With several months to go before meaningful basketball resumes, Rockets fans are wondering what's next this offseason. Even though there's been plenty to celebrate so far, championships aren't won by idle hands.
As it turns out, it didn't take long for that answer to be given.
On Saturday afternoon, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Rockets have traded Cam Whitmore to the Washington Wizards in exchange for two second-round picks. According to Charania, the deal will give the 20-year-old "a tremendous opportunity for an increased role."
The Houston Rockets are trading Cam Whitmore to the Washington Wizards for two second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. The deal gives Whitmore a tremendous opportunity for an increased role as he turns 21 on Tuesday and returns to the DMV area. pic.twitter.com/8BaBsVxjN2
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 5, 2025
Few Rockets fans are surprised that Whitmore is traded before the first week of July is over. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto revealed at the end of June that the former Villanova product was garnering some trade interest around the league, especially with Scotto adding that Houston tried to trade Whitmore to Phoenix as a part of the Durant deal.
Having said that, the problem isn't that Whitmore was shipped off. It's what he was traded for.
Rockets Trading Cam Whitmore to Wizards Is a Mistake
It's safe to say that a pair of second-round selections is far from the return Rockets fans wanted to see in a Whitmore trade. Prospects taken in Round 2 don't always develop into legitimate NBA players, so there's a chance Houston moved the Odenton, MD native for nothing.
One can argue that the Rockets are banking on the Wizards remaining as one of the NBA's basement-dwellers for the next two seasons, potentially making the draft picks inside the No. 30-39 range. At the same time, nothing is guaranteed in this league, and the right stroke of luck could see those picks become less valuable than Houston is hoping.
Making matters worse is the fact that Whitmore is only turning 21 years old on Tuesday. Even though things didn't work out with the Rockets, there's a chance that a change in scenery will help him reach the potential that the franchise saw in him when they snagged him with the 2023 draft's 20th overall pick. If that happens, Houston's return would look even worse.
Since making his debut, Whitmore has played 98 games (5 starts) with the Rockets in the last two seasons. He averaged 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and .449/.357/.707 shooting splits along the way, and even scored a career-high 34 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11.
Unfortunately, Whitmore playing less than six minutes spread across three games this postseason sealed his fate in Houston. Only time will tell if the Rockets were right to cut ties with their former first-rounder for as cheaply as they did, or if his struggles will persist, proving Houston to be right in the long run.