The Washington Wizards entered the season with high hopes that a fresh start for Cam Whitmore would be the opportunity for the forward to prove why he was projected as a lottery pick entering the 2023 NBA Draft.
After a brief stint in Houston, where the Rockets quickly made it clear that the development of the Villanova product wasn't exactly on the top of their to-do list, a change of scenery proved to be on the horizon.
As a result, Washington jumped at the opportunity to land the former first-round pick at an extremely discounted price of two second-round picks; a price that seemed like a steal considering the potential that the high-upside wing could be a breakout candidate on a rebuilding team like the Wizards.
Instead, the Wizards quickly got a similar experience to Whitmore inconsistencies in Houston that eventually led to him being out of Ime Udoka's rotation as a whole.
Similarly, head coach Brian Keefe found himself benching Whitmore hoping to send a message that the young wing simply just wasn't meeting the standard.
However, before Whitmore was given the opportunity to right his wrongs and prove he could be the player Washington hoped he could develop into, the Maryland native was sidelined due to a blood clot found in his shoulder.
After being ruled out indefinitely, the latest update on Whitmore is that the forward has been ruled out for the remainder of the season as he continues to recover.
Washington Wizards guard/forward Cam Whitmore has started the recovery process for a diagnosed venous condition and will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. The team will provide additional updates as appropriate.
— Wizards PR (@WizPRStats) January 15, 2026
Now, Washington finds themselves in a position where another move seems likely.
Wizards apply for disabled player exception
Following the news of Whitmore being ruled out for the season, NBA Insider Michael Scotto revealed that Washington had applied for a disabled player exception with the update on their forward.
Washington has a solid chance to earn the disabled player exception, which will give them the opportunity to potentially take a swing on a player remaining on the free agent market.
Assuming the Wizards are granted the DPE, they will be able to fill the hole on their roster up to 50% of Whitmore's salary or the Non-Taxpayer Midlevel Exception ($14.1 million).
Considering general manager Will Dawkins and head coach Brian Keefe's efforts to maintain their positioning to secure a top-8 pick this offseason, expect Washington to use the DPE to fill the role with a player who could use the opportunity to tap into their potential rather than a win-now move.