Cam Christie Returns to Clippers After Being Waived

The Los Angeles Clippers waived guard Cam Christie on Wednesday, one day before his $2.3 million salary would have become fully guaranteed, and the move brought their roster down to 15 players.

The cut did not come as a surprise, since Christie had looked like the most likely player to go for some time.

His time with the team did not stay over for long, because Christie agreed to a two-way contract with the Clippers on Friday, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The deal came a day after Jake Fischer reported in a Thursday night update on The Stein Line that the Clippers would bring Christie back if he was open to a two-way contract, so the 21-year-old is staying in the organization while the front office keeps the roster spot it needed.

Christie is a third-year guard, but he is still in his last year of eligibility for a two-way contract, and the Clippers had an open two-way spot, according to ClutchPoints.

Every team has to set its Opening Night roster by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, with room for 15 standard contracts and three two-way contracts, so the Clippers got this done with time to spare.

This works for both sides, because Christie stays with the coaches and teammates he already knows, and the Clippers keep a young guard they drafted without using one of their 15 standard spots on him.

Los Angeles took him with the 46th overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Minnesota, and he played in 55 games last season and put up 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.7 minutes a night.

He shot 38.1% from the field and 24.5% from three, and since the outside shot never came around the way the team hoped it would across his 68 career games, it is easy to see why the Clippers did not want to guarantee his deal.

The Clippers have a full guard room, and the team is clearly excited about rookie guard Keaton Wagler playing next to guard Darius Garland.

Guard Max Strus is out for the start of the season with a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot, though, and a two-way player can help fill in on nights when the roster runs thin.

The Clippers also waived guard Yuki Kawamura on Monday, and the G League team in San Diego looks like his most likely next stop, while head coach Tyronn Lue has said he would love to keep Kawamura around.

The front office seems to want to hold on to young guards it likes without using up standard roster spots, and Christie now fits right into that plan.

I think Christie made the right call, because he knows the system, and a year of steady minutes in the G League will do more for his shot than sitting at the end of an NBA bench.

The Clippers open the season against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and if his three-point shot comes around this winter, I would not be surprised to see him earn a standard contract again.