​Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to waive Cam Whitmore. Their deadline to do that and use the stretch provision on his salary is Saturday, Aug. 29.Whitmore will earn $5,458,310 in the final season of his rookie contract. The stretch provision spreads that money across three years at $1,819,437 a year through 2028-29. Cleveland’s 2026-27 cap number drops by about $3.64 million. Waiting past Saturday leaves the full salary on the books for this season.Cleveland became hard capped at the first apron, $209.02 million for 2026-27, when it acquired Peyton Watson from Denver in a sign-and-trade. The Cavaliers agreed to terms with James Harden nearly a week ago on a three-year deal reported at $97 million, and that contract has not been filed. About $28.4 million of apron room is left. A $97 million deal over three seasons cannot start below roughly $30.8 million.Waiving and stretching Whitmore would leave Cleveland with 12 players on standard contracts and just over $32 million beneath the apron. Harden would sign as the 13th man, with a draft-rights rookie taking the 14th spot.Khalifa Diop, the No. 39 pick in 2022, could come stateside rather than Ismael Kamagate, whose draft rights Cleveland picked up in the same five-team trade. Diop, 24, averaged 4.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.8 minutes across 28 EuroLeague games for Baskonia in 2025-26. Kamagate has committed to Varese in Italy for next season.ESPN’s Bobby Marks said Cleveland does not have a first-round pick available to trade.”They are going to waive and stretch Whitmore over three years,” Marks said.Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast that the Cavaliers have discussed the move and that another one is coming because of the hard cap. Fedor put Harden’s year-one salary at “around $30.5 million.”Whitmore arrived from Washington in the trade that sent Tre Mann, a 2027 second-round pick, and cash to the Wizards. Houston drafted him No. 20 in 2023 and dealt him to Washington for two second-round picks in July 2025. He played 21 games for the Wizards last season, averaging 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 16.9 minutes while shooting 45.6% from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range. On Jan. 15, Washington announced he would miss the remainder of the season while recovering from a diagnosed venous condition.Whitmore averaged a career-high 12.3 points along with 3.8 rebounds in 18.7 minutes across 47 games as a rookie for the Rockets in 2023-24.He is 22 and will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2027 if he isn’t waived. Cleveland is his third team in four seasons.Counting Whitmore and not counting Harden, Cleveland carries 13 players on standard contracts going into training camps that open in late September.