The Clippers are parting ways with veteran Chris Paul after sending him home from travel at the start of last season
Chris Paul’s time with the Los Angeles Clippers is over.
Paul was sent home by the franchise late Tuesday night, in the middle of their five-game road trip, he revealed on his Instagram Story. The Clippers are in Atlanta ahead of a game against the Hawks there on Wednesday night.
Announcement
The Clippers confirmed they were parting ways with Paul early Wednesday morning. The details of their split are not yet known.
“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be a part of the team,” Clippers president Lawrence Frank said in a statement, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “We will work with him on the next step of his career.”
“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 many reasons why we have struggled. We are grateful for the impact Chris has had on the franchise.”
Paul is in his 21st season in the league this fall and has already announced it will be his last. He struck a one-year, $3.6 million deal with the Clippers this past offseason, reuniting with the franchise he spent six seasons with earlier in his career. That move to return to Los Angeles, he said at the time, was a “no-brainer.”
Paul has played for seven franchises over the course of his career and is a 12-time All-Star. He led the league in assists five times and led the league in steals six times. Even though he didn’t win an NBA championship, there’s no doubt that Paul is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best point guards to ever play in the league.
Announcement
The 40-year-old has averaged 2.9 points and 3.3 assists per game this season, consistently coming off the bench for only the second time in his career. He had eight points and three assists in 15 minutes off the bench in a loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night.
The Clippers have gotten off to a bad start this season. They will enter Wednesday’s game with just a 5-16 record, which is second-worst in the Western Conference, ahead of only the New Orleans Pelicans. They also have lost five straight and eight in their last nine.
Clearly the team is looking to shake things up. The last months of Paul’s career after this sudden break with the Clippers, however, are suddenly in danger.