The Knicks have succeeded in putting Landry Shamet back on the map, reinventing Jordan Clarkson, and turning Mohamed Diawara, a 51st-overall draft pick, into a long-term keeper. For their next bench-player trick, maybe they could get Cam Whitmore’s NBA career back on track.
Though the 22-year-old was just shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the five-team Peyton Watson sign-and-trade, he apparently isn’t long for the Buckeye State. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the Cavs will waive-and-stretch Whitmore’s $5.5 million salary to accommodate James Harden’s new three-year deal and the signing of another player while remaining under the first apron.
Of course, the fourth-year wing wouldn’t be instantly accessible to the Knicks. Another team can claim him off waivers if they bankroll his $5.5 million salary. New York is not among the squads with that wiggle room.
If 48 hours pass without Whitmore being claimed, however, the Knicks have enough runway beneath the second apron to bring him in on a veteran’s minimum.
Most assume that slot is earmarked for another big, but they have other ways of scooping up a third center. Frankly, even if they didn’t, Whitmore’s potential should be considered too tantalizing to pass up.
Cam Whitmore is talented, but incredibly flawed
Red flags have enveloped Whitmore for most of his career. After being considered a top-tier talent entering the 2023 draft, he slid all the way to the Houston Rockets at No. 20. While he delivered rim pressure and shooting as a rookie, his production fell off a cliff as a sophomore.
Houston then flipped him to the Washington Wizards last summer. It didn’t take long for head coach Brian Keefe to bench him for a lack of ball movement and defensive energy. Before he could regain a spot in the rotation, doctors found a blood clot in his shoulders that sidelined him for the rest of 2025-26.
These concerns are not going anywhere. Whitmore is apparently ready to return next season, and Washington flipped him for an end-of-bench guard in Tre Mann anyway.
But the Wizards are drowning in wings. They’re also under intense pressure after acquiring Trae Young and Anthony Davis, and then shelling out a four-year, $212.8 million contract to the former. Unlike the Knicks, they have yet to prove they can juggle development or offering second chances with a win-now agenda.
This isn’t tantamount to saying Whitmore would be a perfect fit in New York. He has never made more than 45 appearances in a single season, and the ball-stopping is a real problem. Whitmore has never ranked higher than the 6th percentile in assist-to-usage ratio.
Still, his issues are sort of the point.
The Knicks can afford to take this risk
Even last season, in limited action, Whitmore flashed offensive utility. He rated in the 90th percentile of transition efficiency. He also converted 70 percent of his looks at the rim (77th percentile), and hit 37.5 percent of his spot-up threes.
Rest assured, there is work to be done. Combo wings in their early 20s who have hinted at the ability to drain threes, put pressure on the basket, and devastate on the break don’t become available for the minimum because they’re easy to develop or integrate. Ironing out those wrinkles is the challenge.
Given their relative dearth of big-picture prospects, the Knicks should jump at this one if it’s available to them. Let him prove himself inside a championship infrastructure. They have the on- and off-court dynamics to remake him.
If it all goes to you-know-what, the Knicks can move on. No muss, no fuss. But if it works out, they may just stumble into their next, perhaps most impactful, stab-in-the-dark success story.
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