Cam Whitmore Is a Free Agent at 22 — Any Fantasy Upside Left?
Cleveland cut Whitmore after acquiring him this offseason. He posted just 16 fantasy pts/game in 21 games last year (2025-26). Where's the flyer worth taking?
Talented and young, but no roster and no role — nothing to draft yet.
- Whitmore: 9.2 pts, 16 fantasy pts/game in 2025-26 (21 games)
- Our rank: #279 overall, #99 at his position
- Shoulder injury ended his 2025-26 season in January
- No. 14 pick in 2023, still just 22 years old
- Kevin Love, 38, linked to Cleveland and Minnesota returns
The list of veterans still hunting for a contract in September is long, but the one name fantasy managers should actually bookmark is Cam Whitmore. He's 22, he's an explosive scorer, and he's currently unemployed after Washington traded him to Cleveland — who promptly waived him. That's a rough summer for a former No. 14 overall pick.
The numbers explain the freefall. Whitmore averaged just 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists across 21 games in 2025-26, good for only 16 fantasy points per game and our rank of #279 overall (#99 at his position). Washington coach Brian Keefe buried him on the bench by early December over concerns about his passing and defense, then a January shoulder injury ended his year. With the Wizards drafting AJ Dybantsa, the writing was already on the wall.
Why the flyer still makes sense
Here's the thing: Whitmore is younger than most sophomores and has three NBA seasons on his résumé. He was too one-dimensional last year, but a change of scenery and a defined bench role could unlock the scoring that made Washington deal for him in the first place. The catch is he may have to accept a two-way contract to earn his way back, and two-way players rarely sniff standard fantasy relevance.
The rest of the available field skews older and lower-upside. Kevin Love, now 38 and 18 seasons deep, is drawing links to Cleveland and Minnesota — but any signing there likely comes a month or two into the season, and his 3-point stroke cratered to 25.5% last year. Bruce Brown, a full 82-game player for Denver at 7.9 points and 38.5% from three, plus Malik Beasley-type scorers and stretch bigs like Kelly Olynyk, round out a list built for locker rooms, not box scores.
The fantasy takeaway
For now, keep everyone here off your radar in standard leagues. Whitmore is the only name with a genuine ceiling, but you can't roster a player without a team or a role. Watch where he lands and how the minutes shake out. If he signs somewhere with a clear rotation spot and the scoring flashes early, he's a cheap deep-league add worth pouncing on — until then, he's a name to track, not a move to make.
