Inside The Wizards

Wizards Should Make Trade With Rockets

The Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards could be trade partners.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Cam Whitmore (7) warms up prior to the game against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Cam Whitmore (7) warms up prior to the game against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards should be scouring the league to see if there are any prospects worth acquiring ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, which is about two months away on Feb. 6.

Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz suggests that the Wizards should look into targeting Rockets second-year guard Cam Whitmore.

Whitmore, 20, is still an extremely raw prospect who may have arrived to Houston a little too late to be part of the Rockets core. Whitmore was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, though he was projected to go much higher, even as high as the No. 4 overall pick after Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson.

Even though he fell in the draft, he was able to prove why he was so highly-touted coming into the league. After getting some reps in the G League at the beginning of the season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Whitmore came to Houston, where coach Ime Udoka was forced to play him as he continued to give max effort every night.

By the end of his rookie season, Whitmore was averaging 12.3 points per game off the bench, emerging as one of the best scorers outside of any starting lineup.

Expectations were high for Whitmore at the beginning of the season, but a shooting slump at the beginning of the season forced the Rockets to play this year's No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard instead of him. The Rockets have quickly moved towards the top of the standings in the Western Conference and have a core rotation set in place that doesn't include Whitmore.

This means Whitmore could be a prime trade target come February, and a team like the Wizards makes a lot of sense for him. He's a microwave scorer who needs an opportunity to get in-game reps. With the Wizards dead last in the NBA, they could benefit from someone like Whitmore, who has a ceiling higher than most, if not everyone currently on the roster.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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