'In like Flynn': Is Cameron on verge of NBA contract?

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Adelaide 36ers guard Flynn Cameron had a simple goal heading into the 2026 NBA Summer League with the Portland Trail Blazers.

“I just wanted to, you know, see where I was at,” he said after dropping 16 points in 19 minutes in the Blazers' 108-101 win against the Denver Nuggets.

“I think I can compete at this level and, yeah, I think it’s been awesome to come back to the US, no doubt.”

Cameron, 26, played five years of college basketball at DePaul and UC Riverside before returning to Australia with Melbourne United. He signed with the Adelaide 36ers ahead of NBL26 and is contracted to be six-time MVP Bryce Cotton’s backcourt running mate for NBL27.

But his back-to-back performances for the Blazers, the second today (AEDT) against the Utah Jazz, may “reverse” the script for Cameron and the 36ers.

The 1.9m New Zealand-born star had 12 points on 5-from-12 from the field in 16 minutes to go with six boards and four assists off the bench.

“I just like to bring energy,” he added.

“You know, I like to pick up the back of our leaders — Cy, Jason Kent, Quincy.

“They’ve all been picking up full court, so I see that, and I just think it’s contagious.

“So I want to come out there and do the same.”

What it means for Cameron as a potential mature-age rookie, or whether he’d accept a two-way contract with the 36ers, remains uncertain, but he has achieved his goal.

Cameron has proved he can compete at “this level”.

Cameron's college career spanned five seasons across two NCAA Division I programs, beginning at DePaul before flourishing at UC Riverside.

After playing a reserve role in 39 games over two years in the Big East, he transferred to UC Riverside, where he developed into one of the Big West Conference's premier guards.

Cameron started 82 of 84 games for the Highlanders, averaging 11.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists across three seasons while shooting 37.8% from three-point range.

His senior campaign in 2022-23 was his best, producing 13.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on 40.9% three-point shooting, earning All-Big West First Team and Big West All-Tournament Team honours.

In 123 NCAA games, he averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists, establishing himself as a versatile two-way guard before returning to Australia to begin his professional career.

Cameron has now played 90 NBL games in three seasons with Melbourne United and the 36ers, developing from a bench contributor into one of the league's most improved guards.

After learning behind a veteran United backcourt, he broke out in 2025-26, starting all 33 games and averaging career highs of 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 45.2% from the field and 40.8% from three-point range.

He won the NBL's Most Improved Player award and helped earn his opportunity with the Portland Trail Blazers. Over his NBL career, Cameron has averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 44.3% from the field, 40.6% from three and 81.5% from the free-throw line.

Cameron said the Summer League has been an enjoyable experience both on and off the court, especially team bonding.

“I’d say it’s our UNO games,” he revealed.

“You know, on the Fourth of July we played our first UNO game, and I knew it was a great team from there.

“We’re all super competitive; we all want to win, and we did an elimination tournament.

“It just showed we all like to compete, and we’re all together.”