The Washington Wizards took a swing on potential on Saturday landing Cam Whitmore in a trade from the Houston Rockets.
Whitmore has seemed to be a prime candidate to be moved from Houston this offseason after struggling to carve out a sizable role with the team over the last couple seasons, but it became clear after the signing of Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency that the forward's role with the team wasn't set to grow heading into 2025.
The writing was on the wall for Whitmore to find a new home and fortunately, the Rockets front office worked with the Villanova product and his team to find a landing spot that would allow him to thrive and develop.
As a result, the Wizards who seemed to be a preferred landing spot by Whitmore and his team ultimately won the sweepstakes for the young wing, adding him to an already stacked group of young players in their rebuild.
While landing Whitmore is certainly an underrated addition for the Wizards rebuild this offseason, it's safe to say that their swing on potential with the former Rocket will likely take them out of the running for another big swing on the top restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga had been a rumored name linked to the Wizards over the last couple of months due to their need to add a versatile forward in the front court and the fact that they not only had the financial ability to make a deal work for the forward, but they also have the room for him to play extended minutes and prove he could be a center piece in their rebuild.
Over the weekend, the Kuminga to Washington rumors seemed to gain steam with it seeming to be a realistic fit for general manager Will Dawkins to pursue the former G-League Ignite standout.
However, Dawkins undoubtedly put those rumors to rest with the addition to land Whitmore on Saturday.
Whitmore was once a projected lottery pick before a pre-draft foot injury caused the forward to slide into the late-first for the Rockets to select.
The flashes he's shown indicate that he could be a high-level player in the right situation.
Instead of paying a steep price to acquire a talent like Kuminga, the Wizards opted to take swing on a player with similar potential on a rookie contract.
What could be a steal of a trade seemed destined to put an end to the Kuminga to Washington hype.