4 Clippers Who Will Be On Thin Ice All September

While they awaited the resolution of the Kawhi Leonard saga, the Los Angeles Clippers kept busy this summer. They didn't hesitate to make aggressive moves to build out their roster for next season. At this point, they are mostly done for the offseason, but their roster is still not finalized.

Assuming the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through, the Clippers have 17 players under contract. This means that at least two players have to leave LA between now and the start of the season. Until then, there are several players on the roster who will be worried about their departure.

Cam Christie

The 21-year-old shooting guard is the most obvious departure candidate. His $2.3 million salary for the 2026-27 season is fully non-guaranteed. It's also very difficult to find a reason why the Clippers should retain him over the other members of the team.

Christie showed very little in his two years in the league. Now, he is behind a slew of capable shooting guards. Between Max Strus, Bradley Beal, Keaton Wagler, Kobe Sanders, and Kris Dunn, it's hard to see how Christie carves out a role for himself. It should be a matter of when, rather than if, Christie will be waived by the Clippers.

Gradey Dick

A lot of the same problems that put Christie at risk also apply to Gradey Dick. The 22-year-old shooting guard's move to LA has yet to be finalized, but he is already a departure candidate. There is a chance that he is rerouted elsewhere before ever officially becoming a Clipper.

Similar to Christie, Dick hasn't shown much in his early NBA career. His shot hasn't been falling. And for a player whose calling card is shot-making, that is a serious issue.

Dick needs developmental time, but he is unlikely to find that in LA. In the crowded shooting guard rotation, it will be difficult to carve out enough playing time for the former lottery pick. How much the Clippers prioritized him in the Kawhi trade is unclear, as he may have been just a throw-in for salary-matching purposes.

Regardless of what happens with the Leonard trade between now and the start of the season, whether Dick will start the season in LA or elsewhere is very much up in the air.

Isaiah Jackson

Jackson arrived in LA from Indiana, along with Bennedict Mathurin, as part of the Ivica Zubac trade in February. He could meet the same fate as Mathurin, since it's clear that the Clippers prioritized the draft capital in that deal more than the incoming players.

The former Pacer wasn't a big part of the rotation for Ty Lue after his arrival. He then suffered an injury late in the season that limited him to only 17 games as a Clipper.

On paper, the Clippers need a backup big man like Jackson. But he is definitely overpaid at $7 million for next season. Could the Clippers use that salary in a trade for an upgrade?

One has to imagine that if there is a team interested in Jackson and is willing to take him on, the Clippers wouldn't mind letting him go. He may be the least likely player on this list to leave, but it shouldn't be ruled out.

Johni Broome

The Clippers acquired the 24-year-old big man from the Sixers earlier in the summer. Philadelphia was trying to shed some salary, and the Clippers made a savvy move to take on Broome's $2.1 million salary for next season in exchange for a second-round pick. Broome has enough intrigue and untapped potential that this was a worthy flier.

Plus, the Clippers desperately need more frontcourt depth. So, keeping Broome on the roster makes some sense.

At the same time, he would be the easiest player to part ways with. If the Clippers can't trade Dick or Jackson without giving up draft capital, they could just let Broome walk without any financial burden. This alone makes Broome a cut candidate.

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