Charlotte Hornets Should Pass On Cam Whitmore If Cavaliers Waive Him

Cleveland has held internal conversations about waiving and stretching the $5.4 million left on Cam Whitmore's contract, Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor said on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast. ESPN's Bobby Marks expects the Cleveland Cavaliers to take that route over three seasons, which would end Whitmore's time there before he plays a game. The Charlotte Hornets should let another team put in the claim. Whitmore, 22, has been traded twice in 14 months. Houston sent him out for two second-round picks. Washington moved him in a five-team deal centered on Peyton Watson. He has never finished a season in the rotation he started it in. The Role Has Never Held Anywhere Houston picked Whitmore 20th in 2023, with some pre-draft rankings as high as fourth. In his rookie season, he played 47 games, averaging 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 18.7 minutes. He shot 45.4% from the field and 35.9% from 3-point range. His playing time increased after Tari Eason's injury. Eason returned the next season, and Whitmore's minutes fell to 16.2 over 50 games, with his scoring down to 9.3 points. He shot 44.3% from the field and 34.8% from 3. Houston often assigned him to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In the first-round series against Golden State, he played in three games for six minutes, all during garbage time. Whitmore believed the minutes had been inconsistent. He scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench in a January 2025 home win over Dallas. "I contributed a little bit, but it doesn't really affect anything," Whitmore said. "Doesn't really, can't get me nowhere, but we'll see what happens, but just glad we got the win." Washington acquired him on July 5, 2025. The three-team deal sent Saddiq Bey the other way, to New Orleans. Whitmore played 21 games for the Wizards, averaging 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. He shot 45.6% from the field. His 3-point shooting dropped to 28.6%. He was already out of the rotation on Dec. 23, when doctors diagnosed upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Washington ruled him out for the season on Jan. 15. Whitmore averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 26 games at Villanova, earning Big East Freshman of the Year. At the 2023 combine, he ranked third in max vertical leap with 40.5 inches. His athleticism is unquestioned. Charlotte Has the Wings and Does Not Have the Spot Charlotte has 17 players on standard contracts, two above the regular-season limit of 15. Pat Connaughton's salary is not fully guaranteed until Jan. 31, 2027. Three of the team's second-round picks arrived this summer in the Dorian Finney-Smith trade alone. Through 65 games last season, Brandon Miller averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He shot 43.5% from the field and a career-best 38.3% from 3. Miller had shoulder surgery in May. As a rookie, Kon Knueppel put up 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 81 games. He led the NBA in 3-pointers made and hit 42.5% of them. Cooper Flagg beat him for Rookie of the Year. Behind those two are Royce O'Neale, Grayson Allen, Finney-Smith, and Grant Williams. Sion James played all 82 games as a rookie. Liam McNeeley is the same kind of wing Whitmore is, two years younger. Drafted 29th in 2025, he played 31 games, averaging 4.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 11.9 minutes. He shot 40% from 3. He also played 20 games with Greensboro, where he averaged 19.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. Last month in Las Vegas, he averaged 21.7 points on 63.2% shooting from 3 and was named to the Summer League Second Team. Charlotte's developmental wing was drafted in the first round and has two more seasons of team control. The franchise won 44 games last season, a 25-win improvement, and lost the No. 8 seed game in Orlando. Hornets coach Charles Lee is entering his third season. Jeff Peterson said the LaMelo Ball trade was one he was comfortable making because of Miller and Knueppel, in an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape. "Charles and I had a conversation with both of them knowing that these trades can be challenging," Peterson said. "Sometimes I do think we forget that we're human beings dealing with this stuff — lives and its emotions. Those guys are friends and they are in the locker room every day. At the same time, Charles and I kind of explained, 'We believe in you guys, too. You guys are here. We want to continue to see you guys grow. This is going to challenge you guys. You guys got to continue to get better.'" "We wouldn't have made that trade if we didn't feel comfortable with what they can continue to be developing into," Peterson continued. A claim costs the full $5.46 million and one of the 15 spots. Waiver priority runs in reverse order of record, and Charlotte finished 44-38. Training camp opens in late September. The Hornets play Oct. 21 at Brooklyn and host Atlanta in the home opener on Oct. 23.