{"id":760315,"date":"2026-06-25T23:05:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T23:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/760315\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T23:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T23:05:28","slug":"chris-bell-john-camden-hope-to-reach-nba-like-other-undrafted-cal-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/760315\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Bell, John Camden Hope to Reach NBA Like Other Undrafted Cal Players"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Cal forwards Chris Bell and John Camden were not taken in the NBA draft, but Bell signed an Exhibit 10 free-agent contract with the New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> and Camden signed a summer-league deal with the Washington Wizards.<\/p>\n

Both hope their ability as three-point shooters will get them on NBA rosters.<\/p>\n

Free agents are long shots to make the team’s regular-season roster, especially in their first year, but some have done so. Austin Reaves, Fred VanVleet and Jose Alvarado were undrafted free agents who are major contributors on their NBA teams now. Ben Wallace, Udonis Haslem and John Starks are past NBA players who had pro success after going undrafted.<\/p>\n

Even some former Cal players made the leap to the NBA after going undrafted, and Bell and Camden will try to follow their paths. Jorge Gutierrez, Patrick Christopher, Geno Carlisle, Leonard Taylor, Don Henriksen, and Jack Rocker were undrafted free agents from Cal who at least saw action in NBA games, although none had what you would call a stellar NBA career.<\/p>\n

Henriksen was the most successful of the undrafted Cal players. The 1952 draft had 17 rounds and 106 players were selected. Henriksen, who played at Cal in 1948-49 and 1949-50, was not one of the 106 drafted players. But he ended up playing 136 NBA games, including 68 for the Baltimore Bullets in 1952-53 and 70 in 1954-55 when he played for the Bullets and Rochester Royals. He scored 15 points or more 12 times in his NBA career, and had 20 points or more four times. A few months before his his 1954-55 NBA season he received a Ph.D in geology, so he had something to fall back on.<\/p>\n

Gutierrez, who was Pac-12 player of the year in 2012 but went undrafted, played 47 NBA games over three seasons, and even made three starts. He started two games for the Nets in 2013-14 and started one game for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014-15.<\/p>\n

Carlisle went undrafted in 1999 and eventually made it to the NBA in 2004-05 when he played in six games for the Portland Trail Blazers, averaging 1.3 points with a career high of six points.<\/p>\n

Christopher was not taken in the 2010 NBA draft, but finally played in four games, including one start, for the Utah Jazz in 2024-15. His lone start came on January 2, 2015 against the Atlanta Hawks, but he played just five minutes and did not score.<\/p>\n

Taylor went undrafted in 1989, but he signed with Golden State and played 10 games for the Warriors in 1989-90. He went 0-for-6 on field-goal attempts for his career but made 11 of 16 free throws.<\/p>\n

Rocker latched on to the Philadelphia Warriors roster in 1947-48 and played nine games for the Warriors in the Basketball Association of America, which later became the NBA.<\/p>\n

Bell will try to impress the Pelicans with his three-point shooting<\/a> because New Orleans needs players who can hit from long range after finishing 24th in the 30-team league in three-point percentage and 27th in three-pointers made in 2025-26.<\/p>\n

The Pelicans finished with a 26-56 record and were not close to landing a playoff berth.<\/p>\n

John Camden<\/a> will try to impress the Wizards — or some other team — with his performance as a shooter in summer-league play.<\/p>\n

The Wizards finished 15th in the NBA in three-point percentage and 19th in three-pointers made this past season. Camden made 39.5 percent of his three-pointers for Cal in 2025-26 and he made three three-pointers or more 18 times, and hit five or more long range shots four times for the Bears.<\/p>\n

The Wizards finished the 2025-26 season with a 17-65 record, the worst in the NBA, so there will be opportunities for newcomers.<\/p>\n

NEWS: Cal\u2019s John Camden will join the Washington Wizards for NBA Summer League, sources tell DraftExpress.<\/p>\n

The 6\u20198\u201d stretch forward is a 40% three-point shooter on nearly 500 career attempts.<\/p>\n

One of the best floor-spacers in the undrafted free agent market. pic.twitter.com\/lmPeyZgXFl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) June 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Exhibit 10 contract Bell signed is a standard deal signed by many free agents. It is basically a one-year deal that brings a player to training camp for the minimum salary that is not guaranteed.<\/p>\n

This player can compete for spot on the team\u2019s main roster in training camp. but if he is waived before the start of the regular season, the player can sign to play in the G league and earn a $75,000 bonus.<\/p>\n

The contract could be changed to a two-way deal, allowing the player to spend time with the NBA team and the G League.<\/p>\n

Bell is hoping he can show his skills in NBA summer-league competition. He performed workouts for a number of NBA teams before the draft, and he participated<\/a> in the G League combine.<\/p>\n

Bell averaged 14.2 points for the Golden Bears this past season, but his best attribute is his three-point shooting. He made 40 percent of his three-point shots for Cal this past season, and he hit on 48.1 percent of his long-range shots over the final 12 games.<\/p>\n

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