Chris Paul’s final ride with the Los Angeles Clippers has crashed into a ditch, with the team announcing early Wednesday it has “parted ways” with the 12-time all-star.
The team announced the move at 3 a.m. ET with Paul being sent home from Atlanta, where the Clippers were set to play the Hawks on Wednesday night.
On Wednesday afternoon, ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed that Paul and team management — specifically coach Ty Lue — had clashed for weeks.
“Chris Paul and his leadership style clashed with the Clippers, sources tell ESPN,” Charania posted on X. “Paul has been vocal in holding management, coaches and players accountable, which the team felt became disruptive. Specifically: Ty Lue was not on speaking terms with Paul for several weeks.”
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank confirmed the move to ESPN.
“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team,” Frank told the outlet. “We will work with him on the next step of his career.”
Paul later himself confirmed the news on an Instagram Story, saying the team had sent him home from Atlanta.
Paul announced last month that this would be his final NBA season, after having entered the league with New Orleans in the 2005 draft.
Frank’s comments indicate the team will attempt to trade Paul before making a decision on releasing the veteran, who signed a one-year, US$3.6-million deal in the off-season to return to the team.
CP3’s hall of fame career
Paul previously played six seasons for the Clippers, from 2011-17, coming to the team from New Orleans after a blockbuster trade to the Lakers was nixed by the NBA’s head office. Paul earned all-NBA honours in five of his six seasons in L.A. before playing for the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs.
His return to the Clippers was supposed to be an uplifting farewell tour — however, it never took off.
Paul has played 16 games this season, averaging a meagre 2.9 points and 3.3 assists per game, while logging an average of 14.3 minutes per outing.
“Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise,” Frank added in the statement.
The Clippers, who have been mired in an investigation over reportedly circumventing the salary cap with payments to superstar Kawhi Leonard, have struggled out of the gate with a 5-16 record heading into Wednesday night’s game.
The team is tied with Sacramento for the second-worst record in the Western Conference and are on a five-game losing streak before facing Atlanta.