The ‘ acquisition of from the will be folded into a four-player trade with the that was reported last month, a source tells Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (subscriber link). That deal sends , and the 40th pick in this year’s draft () to New Orleans in exchange for , and a future second-round selection.

Houston is trading Whitmore to a rebuilding team to give him a shot at increased playing time, but Shankar points out that it might be just as difficult for Whitmore to get on the court in Washington as it was during his two seasons with the Rockets. He views , , , and lottery pick as locks to be in the rotation. Whitmore will have to compete with young prospects Will Riley, AJ Johnson, Justin Champagnie and Dillon Jones, along with McCollum and fellow veterans Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart, Corey Kispert and Richaun Holmes.

Shankar also points out that Whitmore and Coulibaly were part of the same draft class in 2023, which means they’ll both be eligible for rookie scale extensions next summer.

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