Clippers Keep Delaying the Obvious Cam Christie Decision

While they are waiting for a resolution to the Kawhi Leonard situation, the Los Angeles Clippers are also trying to build their roster for next season. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the team, the Clippers have to create a competitive team in the stacked Western Conference next season. However, four weeks into free agency, they still have some work to do.

One of their remaining offseason decisions was regarding third-year player Cam Christie. For the second time this summer, however, the Clippers have pushed back the guarantee date for Christie's 2026-27 salary. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has a non-guaranteed $2.3 million salary for next season.

The sides initially agreed to push it back from late June to Monday, July 20. Yesterday, they pushed it back once again to October 15, per The Athletic's Law Murray.

Clippers Are Wasting a Roster Spot on Cam Christie

On paper, there is nothing wrong with this approach. The Clippers want to see what else they can do this summer. Depending on what happens with Leonard, Bennedict Mathurin, or their restricted free agent target Peyton Watson, the Clippers may or may not want to keep Christie.

In reality, the Clippers are wasting a roster spot on Christie. Even if LA ends up with a roster spot that they can use on Christie once all of their offseason transactions are done, it's not the best use of resources.

In his two years in LA, Christie has done very little to justify a third season. Sure, he is still very young, but the Clippers can also give a similar chance to another unproven 21-year-old.

Even if Christie works out and turns into a capable backup, he is not a very valuable archetype. He is a shooting guard who can't defend up or make plays defensively. On offense, he does very little outside of shooting. He would have to be an elite, %40+ shooter from three to be a rotation player considering how little else he does.

If LA wants to keep Christie around, they can still bring him back on a two-way contract. For one of the 15 roster spots, however, the Clippers have to aim higher.

Assuming the Leonard trade goes through, the Clippers only have one open roster spot. If they move on from Christie, that would create a second spot. This means that the Clippers can re-sign Mathurin and bring in more frontcourt depth. There is a clear need for another center, but even if LA would prioritize a different position, there will be higher-upside options than Christie.

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