The Lonnie Walker IV era in Denver is now over. Okay, that may be a little harsh, but it is official. The Nuggets have decided to waive Walker, whose chances of making the squad weren't very good anyway. But that now opens the door for the Nuggets to sit on their 15th and final roster spot until the time is right to fill it, and the seat is likely being kept warm for Cam Whitmore.
It was confusing when the Nuggets brought Walker in on the training camp deal. If they were serious about cutting salary, adding Walker to the roster didn't make any sense. One possible reason was that they weren't confident in Julian Strawther's ability to take on the lead three-point volume shooting role. But Strawther's proven to be one of the bigger bright spots to open the preseason, and his performance has made it a simple decision for the Nuggets to let Walker go.
Now with Walker gone, the 15th and final roster spot will stay open for a bit, but the Nuggets should elevate Cam Whitmore from his two-way contract when they get the chance.
Cam Whitmore should be the Nuggets' 15th roster addition
The Nuggets scooped up Whitmore after the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped him as part of the five-team Peyton Watson trade. Signing Whitmore to a two-way contract was a no-brainer move, and it'll be an equally smart decision to add him to the 15th roster spot once his 50-game maximum is reached later in the season, like they did with Spencer Jones last year.
Ideally, the Nuggets would be back under the second apron luxury tax penalty threshold by that point after making a couple of moves to shed salary. But even if they aren't, they can't have Whitmore around for the playoffs as added depth unless he's on the standard roster.
Whitmore makes sense for the final roster spot. His athleticism and ability to score points in bunches could be a big boost to the bench, especially if one of the other wings on the team is facing any injury issues later in the year. He's a former first-round pick, and he could be the best two-way player on any roster in the league.
Of course, time will tell, and it depends on Whitmore's development as the season progresses, but he's in the right environment to succeed. Mostly, his defense needs to improve, and if it does, he's certainly got the inside track to the final roster spot.
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