Chris Paul said the Los Angeles Clippers will bring him home from their road trip, putting a shocking twist in what is expected to be the veteran guard’s final season in the NBA.
“Just found out I’m being sent home,” Paul posted on social media around 3 a.m. Wednesday, adding a peace emoji.
The struggling Clippers are in Atlanta for a road game against the Hawks on Wednesday night. Los Angeles lost to Miami on Monday night to fall to 5-16 in a very disappointing start to the season.
The 40-year-old Paul is playing his 21st season in the NBA, and he strongly hinted last month that it would be his last. The 12-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time Olympic gold medalist has earned four All-NBA First Team selections and ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists. He was the first player to score at least 20,000 points while recording at least 10,000 assists.
He became arguably the most accomplished player in Clippers franchise history while leading the team to six winning seasons from 2011-17, including the Clippers’ first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. Paul returned to Los Angeles as a free agent last July, rejoining a team that fans love while getting an outside shot at competing for his first championship alongside Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Clippers executive director of basketball Lawrence Frank issued a statement confirming Paul’s departure to several media outlets early Wednesday. He indicated that the Clippers would try to trade Paul, who signed a $3.6 million deal to return to Los Angeles.
“We have parted ways with Chris and he will no longer be part of the team,” Frank said. “We will work with him on the next step of his career. Chris is a legendary Clipper with a historic career. I want to make one thing absolutely clear. No one blames Chris for our poor performance. I take responsibility for the record we have now. There are a lot of reasons why we are struggling. We are grateful for the impact Chris has had on the franchise.”
Paul has not spoken to reporters since he strongly hinted at his retirement during the Clippers’ return to his native North Carolina. But he acknowledged the existence of a retrospective video of his career that the Clippers played during a hiatus in the Intuit Dome last week. The video ended with the words “Congratulations, God’s Point” on the screen.
Paul can’t really be blamed for the Clippers’ depth struggles this season because he hasn’t played much.
He is averaging 2.6 points and 3.3 assists while playing just 14.3 minutes per game — all career lows — and did not play at all in five straight games in mid-November. Paul had eight points and three assists while playing 15 minutes against the Heat in what turned out to be his final game with the team, a game in which Harden and other key players were benched, in the latest sign of discord for Tyronn Lue’s team.
The Clippers are down five games, tied with Sacramento for the second-worst record in the Western Conference heading into Wednesday’s games. Leonard has been limited to 10 games due to injuries, and they already lost guard Bradley Beal to season-ending hip surgery.
The Clippers’ streak of 14 straight winning seasons is the longest active streak in the NBA, but owner Steve Ballmer’s club has yet to show signs of contending this season — and now they move forward without a historically talented point guard and franchise favorite.