Nuggets Take Low-Risk Chance on Cam Whitmore With Two-Way Deal

Cam Whitmore was a first-round pick three years ago.

Now he's joining Denver on a two-way contract.

For a player who is still only 22, that is quite a change in trajectory.

But it's also what makes this such an interesting move for the Nuggets.

Whitmore has already shown that he can score at NBA level. Across 119 career games, he's averaged 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds despite playing only 17.3 minutes per night.

As a rookie in Houston, he averaged 12.3 points in just 18.7 minutes.

The talent has never really been the difficult part of the equation.

Availability and finding a consistent role have been.

Whitmore played 47 games during his rookie season and 51 in his second year before moving from Houston to Washington.

His first season with the Wizards was then cut dramatically short.

Whitmore appeared in only 21 games, averaging 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16.9 minutes, before a blood clot in his shoulder ended his season.

That interruption matters when assessing where his career stands now.

This isn't simply a former first-round pick who failed to produce and gradually fell out of the league.

Whitmore has produced when given minutes, but injuries and roster movement have prevented him from establishing himself.

His offseason became even more unusual.

Washington sent him to Cleveland as part of the multi-team trade involving Peyton Watson, only for the Cavaliers to waive him shortly afterwards.

Now Denver gets the opportunity to find out what is still there.

And the Nuggets aren't taking much financial risk to do it.

A two-way contract allows Denver to move Whitmore between the NBA roster and its G League affiliate while evaluating whether he can force his way into a bigger role.

If it doesn't work, Denver hasn't committed a standard roster spot or a significant contract.

If it does work, the Nuggets may have found a 22-year-old former first-round talent for virtually nothing.

There are reasons for caution.

Whitmore's three-point shooting dropped to 28.6% during his shortened season in Washington after he shot better than 35% in each of his first two seasons.

His playmaking has also remained limited. He has averaged only 0.8 assists per game across his NBA career.

Denver doesn't need him to become a primary creator, though.

The intriguing possibility is much simpler.

Can Whitmore provide athleticism, scoring and energy in limited minutes around a team that already has established offensive creators?

Denver can afford to find out.

There's another interesting detail here too.

Whitmore is entering his fourth NBA season but is still younger than several players beginning their careers.

His development window hasn't disappeared simply because his route through the league has become complicated.

Three years after being selected No. 20, this is effectively another audition.

And for both sides, the timing makes sense.

Whitmore gets another opportunity to prove he belongs on a standard NBA contract.

Denver gets a former first-round talent without having to pay first-round-pick money.

LEAN EDGE VERDICT: Cam Whitmore landing on a two-way contract at 22 says plenty about how quickly an NBA career can change, but it doesn't mean his potential has disappeared. He has already averaged 10.5 points in only 17.3 minutes across 119 games and showed genuine scoring ability as a teenager in Houston. Denver isn't betting that Whitmore will become a star. It's simply giving a talented young player another opportunity at minimal cost. If he stays healthy and turns his scoring flashes into consistent rotation minutes, this could become one of the more interesting low-risk additions of Denver's offseason.