Clippers Season Hits Rock Bottom With Chris Paul Departure

The Los Angeles Clippers’ season has drifted additional off beam with the ousting of franchise legend Chris Paul.

Chris Paul‘s ultimate stanza with the Los Angeles Clippers was maybe the NBA equal of a three-hour tour.

Paul, 40, was basically despatched dwelling by the Clippers within the wee hours of Wednesday morning, ending what was purported to be a farewell tour for one of many trendy legends of the sport. The 12-time All-Star up to date his standing from Atlanta, the place the Clippers are set to face the Hawks on Wednesday (4:30 p.m. PT, FanDuel Sports activities SoCal), whereas staff president Lawrence Frank provided an announcement obtained by Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“We’re parting methods with Chris and he’ll now not be with the staff. We are going to work with him on the following step of his profession,” Frank mentioned. “Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic profession. I wish to make one factor very clear. Nobody is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I settle for duty for the report we now have proper now. There are numerous explanation why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the influence Chris has made on the franchise.”

Thus ends Paul’s Clip Present, one which gave the franchise the closest factor it might muster to constant glory days. Following the famously vetoed deal that may’ve positioned Paul with Los Angeles’ different, extra yellow squad, Paul joined up with the Clippers in 2011 and kickstarted an period that has basically culminated in Steve Ballmer’s 2014 buy of the staff, the franchise’s first convention finals displaying in 2021 (4 years after he initially left) and the opening of Intuit Dome, a solo Clippers area in Inglewood. 

The purple LA optimist might maybe no less than sigh in aid over the truth that the Paul drama, one the place the Clipper icon was struggling to remain above quarter-hour a recreation, is over, however the staff’s points have solely simply begun.

Paul’s Departure Is Newest Clippers Storm

No matter drama is cooking up on LA backlots has nothing on the dramatics of this Clippers season, one which has spiraled into oblivion pretty early on. It will’ve been a stretch to say that the Clippers have been anybody’s Finals favourite, however taking final yr’s Denver Nuggets to the brink within the opening Western spherical was extensively seen as a step in the precise route regardless of persevering with a streak of 4 seasons with no postseason promotion.

The hullaballoo over the Kawhi Leonard endorsement kerfuffle has considerably died down however the highlight has discovered an excellent uglier storyline, specifically a 5-16 begin that has the Clippers sitting within the penultimate spot within the Western Convention. 

Chris Paul and his management type clashed with the Clippers, sources inform ESPN. Paul has been vocal in holding administration, coaches and gamers accountable, which the staff felt grew to become disruptive. Particularly: Ty Lue was not on talking phrases with Paul for a number of weeks.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 3, 2025

To be honest to go coach Tyronn Lue and his workers, a tidal wave of accidents has performed a partial half within the early demise: touted acquisition Bradley Beal lasted however six (largely ineffective) video games earlier than a hip damage ended his marketing campaign. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Derrick Jones Jr. have additionally been ailing. However the protection, which loved sturdy steps ahead underneath the route of assistant and achieved former head coach Jeff Van Gundy, has taken a step again.

The true horror, nevertheless, is off on the horizon: at this level, LA doesn’t even have the consolation of its presumably excessive draft choose to maintain it heat firm as this season threatens to fly additional off the rails. That choose now resides within the palace of Oklahoma Metropolis and the deal that despatched that choose (and extra) away was partly headlined by the involvement of de facto Affiliation dictator Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Making the state of affairs all of the extra dire is the actual fact the Clippers are trapped within the restrictive first wage apron, which denies them some relative luxuries similar to signing a fifteenth participant if and when Paul lastly leaves the roster.

All that and extra pushes the Clippers towards a rebuild the franchise has been making an attempt to keep away from for fairly some time. What occurs subsequent will set the tone for each now and later … and the way LA administration handles Paul could possibly be the beginning of it.

Clippers Can Guarantee This Is Rock Backside…For Now

The personification of the Clippers most likely wouldn’t be good for Elaine Benes, because the previous decade has established it as a nasty breaker-upper. In 2018, the staff traded Blake Griffin, one other face of this relative heyday, simply over six months after he signed a nine-figure extension.

They’ll maybe get one thing out of Paul earlier than all is alleged and achieved however basically delivery him off within the cowl of evening is hardly a great look and can probably give some pause to elite free brokers wanting Inglewood’s manner.

What Paul does subsequent is his enterprise: returning to LA was meant to be a farewell tour and he might effectively retire regardless of carrying a sure type of worth (of observe, he was in a position to seem in all 82 video games for San Antonio final season). The Clippers might kickstart the method by shopping for out his wage, which isn’t as dire a destiny as it might appear contemplating Paul is however a $3.6 million cap hit.  

However Los Angeles can maybe get a bit of little bit of its goodwill again by, satirically sufficient, one other commerce. The earliest Paul could possibly be traded is Dec. 15 primarily based on his present contract, and that figures to be one of the simplest ways for the Clippers to maneuver ahead contemplating they should make strikes that internet one thing, something, in return. Working with Paul to scrub up this case can be a great way to clean tensions over and make the very best of an uncomfortable time. 

Nobody’s saying it’s going to be simple over the following few years for Clipper basketball. Heck, the highway forward would possibly make their followers lengthy for this brutal marketing campaign. However there’s a delicate path to creating issues proper by doing good enterprise with Paul they usually’d be ever so smart to take it.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags