Cavs Likely To Waive the Forward They Just Acquired in Trade From Washington

Cam Whitmore’s time with the Cavs might have been short-lived.

Dec 1, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Cam Whitmore (1) dunks the ball as Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. (5) looks on in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cleveland has acquired three players in trades this offseason, all of which were ultimately combined into a five-team deal on Wednesday. Peyton Watson was one, while Tre Mann was acquired in last Friday’s trade that sent Dennis Schröder to the Charlotte Hornets. The third was Cam Whitmore.

Neither Mann nor Whitmore will actually play for the Cavs, though.

Mann was rerouted to the Washington Wizards as part of the Watson deal. The Cavs will reportedly waive and stretch Whitmore, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Why Would the Cavs Do This?

The waive and stretch rule allows a team to release a player under a guaranteed contract and spread the remaining salary cap hit across twice the number of remaining years on the deal plus one additional season.

If Cleveland chooses to do that, Whitmore – who was set to make $5.46 million this season before becoming a restricted free agent in 2027 – would become a free agent, and it would free up cap space and a roster spot for the Cavs.

How Much Cap Space Would the Waive and Stretch of Whitmore Free Up?

The $5.46 million owed to Whitmore this season would be stretched over three years, given that he only has one year remaining on his contract.

With that, Whitmore would leave about a $1.82 million cap hit on the Cavs’ books over each of the next three seasons.

Cavs’ Cap Space Post-Cam Whitmore Waive and Stretch

With the cap hit falling from $5.5 million to $1.8 million in 2026-27, Cleveland would not only have an additional roster spot open, but the Cavs would have $31.9 million in cap space.

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The James Harden extension – which will happen sooner rather than later, not that the Cavs acquired Watson – will drastically reduce that number depending on Harden’s contract, but Whitmore’s waive and stretch gives Cleveland more flexibility than they would have had.

Keep in mind: Given that the Cavs acquired Watson in a sign-and-trade, Cleveland is now hard-capped at the first apron. That means the Cavs’ cap sheet can never exceed $209,015,000 at any point this season.

With 12 players currently under contract, assuming Whitmore is waived and stretched, the Cavs’ team salary is $177,064,573. It’s worth noting that two-way contracts do not count against cap space.

Possible Players the Cavs Could Add

With that final roster spot, there are a number of directions Cleveland could decide to go.

Jonathan Kuminga is certainly a long shot, but never say never.

That said, veteran forwards such as DeMar DeRozan, Nicolas Batum, or Ziaire Williams seem like logical fits depending on their asking price.