Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers continues with reserve guard Cam Christie.
Basic Information
Height: 6’5
Weight: 195 pounds
Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 20
Years in NBA: 2
Key Regular Season Stats (for Clippers): 2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.4 turnovers in 8.7 minutes per game across 55 games played (0 starts) on 38.1/24.5/76 (0.9 3PA, 0.9 FTA) shooting splits (48.4 True Shooting)
Expectations
With the Clippers adding multiple guards in free agency, drafting an older guard in Kobe Sanders, and still carrying over James Harden, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, and Bogdan Bogdanovic from the 2025 roster, there was not expected to be much room for Christie in the Clippers’ rotation in the 2026 season. And, with Christie still the youngest player on the roster (by far) at just over 20 years old when the season started, his spending another year developing in the G-League and getting garbage time opportunities in the NBA was not exactly an issue. Thus, expectations for Christie to contribute to the Clippers this year were practically zero.
Reality
Cam played quite a bit more than expected this season, appearing in 55 games compared to 13 in his rookie year. Quite a few of those game logs were in garbage time, as 36 of Cam’s appearances had fewer than 10 minutes in game action, and only 5 of them were over 20 minutes. Still, Cam was a fairly regular presence in Clippers’ games, and he got a few real run at rotation minutes. The first was early November (he played ok, the team was awful) and the second was in mid-January (he was solid, the team was meh).
It is at least slightly notable that Christie was at his worst when getting short stints, and that he played pretty well on the whole when given a chance. In the five games he played at least 20 minutes, Christie averaged 10 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting the ball well from the floor. In general, Christie’s biggest issue at the NBA level is that his beautiful-looking shot has not actually gone in the basket much. It’s tough for anyone to get rhythm in short stints not in the flow of the game, and Christie is certainly no different, but his shooting splits are just brutal. However, when he has played a lot, you can see the outlines of a guard that can handle a bit, is an active on-ball defender, and can finish in transition. If the three-ball ever becomes truly reliable, Christie could become a real player.
Future with Clippers
Christie is still under contract for two more seasons, with his number coming in at just under $2.3M next year and $2.5M in 2027-2028. However, his contract next year is non-guaranteed, and his season in 2028 is a team option. Therefore, the Clippers could waive him this summer and move on with no harm to their future cap sheet. I wouldn’t expect the Clippers to do so, to be clear, as there has not been any reporting they are dissatisfied with his progress or out on his development, but he also has not played much in the NBA and has largely been ineffective when he has played, so it’s not impossible they let go of Christie. I would expect Christie to get another season on the Clippers to develop and maybe get a shot in the rotation at some point. He’s still young, his contract is cheap, and his archetype of player is very much valued in the NBA. Hopefully he gets a real look next year.