The Los Angeles Clippers are off to a dreadful start to the 2025-26 NBA season, sitting at just 5-16 overall and recording only two wins in November.
The team has battled injuries and has had two-way star Kawhi Leonard in and out of the lineup, but they haven’t been able to find a way to win consistently. In a surprising development early Tuesday morning, the Clippers decided to send veteran point guard Chris Paul—who is in his final NBA season—home, signaling their intentions to part ways with the 40-year-old.
Several hours later, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank broke his silence on the decision, explaining that the team will work with Paul to determine the next step of his career. Waiving him would cost the Clippers $3.6 million, while a trade could not occur until at least Dec. 15.
“We are parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be with the team,” Frank said. “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 a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.”
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Chris Paul is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer who wanted to end his career with the organization he spent six seasons with from 2011–2017, making the All-Star team in five of those years.
However, at his current age, there’s no question his production has declined significantly. He’s averaging just 14.3 minutes per game, 2.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 rebounds—all career lows by a wide margin.
Paul is in his 21st NBA season and has played for seven different franchises, most recently with the San Antonio Spurs in 2024, before deciding to cap off his career in Los Angeles.
He’s a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-Defensive team member, five-time assist champion, 2005 Rookie of the Year, and six-time steals champion. The only milestone that has eluded him is an NBA championship.
It remains unclear what Paul’s next steps will be for the remainder of the season as the Clippers finalize a decision on whether to waive or trade him.
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