Why Nuggets Signing Cam Whitmore Could Be the Right Move to Make

The Denver Nuggets are the latest team to show interest in signing 2023 first round pick and current free agent Cam Whitmore.

According to Marc Stein on The Stein Line, the Nuggets are a team to watch "in pursuit" of Whitmore in the weeks that remain ahead of the 2026-27 regular season.

"The Nuggets, I'm told, have emerged as a team to watch in pursuit of Cam Whitmore," Stein wrote. "Whitmore, selected 20th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, was recently waived by Cleveland after the Cavaliers acquired him as part of the five-team megatrade that landed Peyton Watson in Northeast Ohio.

Much speculation has surrounded the Nuggets and how they might be due to address their final open roster spot before kicking off their regular season next month. Denver has had 14 traditional roster spots taken since DeMar DeRozan signed his one-year deal, and has one more opening up for grabs.

Now based on this new intel, it feels as if Whitmore, who enters his fourth year as a pro, is well within the mix to claim it. And based on where the Nuggets' bench stands, there might not be many better options Denver could turn towards for that 15th man on the roster.

Why Cam Whitmore Makes Sense for Nuggets to Sign

When taking a step back to look at how this Denver second unit has shifted from where things stood last season, one aspect stands out pretty glaringly: the Nuggets lost a bit of bench scoring.

Peyton Watson got shipped off to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sixth Man of the Year Candidate Tim Hardaway Jr. signed with the Heat. Jonas Valanciunas is overseas. Bruce Brown most recently just decided to head to the New York Knicks on a training camp contract.

The Nuggets need a cheap, high-upside veteran to bring onto the back end of the roster who can be a low-risk addition if the fit doesn't work out, or could blossom into a valuable rotational player that fits their outstanding needs.

Whitmore, 22, is someone who falls right into that bucket: a once-highly touted prospect coming out of Villanova with a ton of upside as a wing scorer, yet has dealt with injury and bounced around the league through the past two years that now leaves him on the free agent market.

Dec 2, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Wizards forward Cam Whitmore (1) shoots the ball against Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain (20) in the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, Whitmore only played 21 games with the Washington Wizards, but he did manage to average 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds a night in those appearances, shooting 45.6% from the field and 28.6% from three.

His season would end prematurely due to a blood clot in his right shoulder, but he appears to be trending towards 100% for the 2026-27 campaign.

If the Nuggets do have interest in Whitmore, he could be an ideal option to target on a veteran minimum, or maybe even a training camp contract, to see if he can offer that aspired spark on the offensive side of the ball.

At worst, Whitmore doesn't pan out as expected and can be cut before the regular season begins to make space for another player, such as a training camp signee like Lonnie Walker. At best, he develops into a young, high-level bench scorer and nightly rotational player for one year at an extremely cheap cost.

So there's certainly a conversation to be had about whether or not Whitmore is the best fit in the Mile High. He might not be the guard depth that this rotation could use behind Jamal Murray, but he is an interesting wing scorer that fills out the rotation fully, and comes aboard for a bargain price.

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