Chris Paul’s Clippers Exit Is Another Strange Chapter in a Familiar Story
Chris Paul didn’t need to say much. A photo of him laughing with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan-his old running mates from the Lob City days-said it all. Posted just hours after news broke that the Clippers were parting ways with the 40-year-old point guard, the image captured a moment of levity amid what could’ve been a bitter ending.
For a player who helped transform the Clippers from a punchline into a perennial playoff team, the exit felt oddly abrupt. Paul, who leads the franchise in assists (4,076) and win shares (78.2), wasn’t just a contributor-he was the engine.
Across 425 regular-season games in two separate stints with the team, he also ranks sixth in points (7,721), fifth in threes made (628), and second in steals (913). His impact is etched all over the Clippers’ record books.
And yet, here we are. A future Hall of Famer, dismissed quietly, reportedly without initiating the decision himself.
He’s said this season would be his last, and with the Clippers off to a brutal 5-16 start and battling injuries across the board, you’d think they’d want every ounce of veteran leadership they could get. Instead, Paul is out-and the Clippers are once again navigating murky waters with one of their all-time greats.
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team will work with Paul on “the next chapter” of his career, but the phrasing feels more ceremonial than sincere. Especially when you consider the history.
This isn’t the first time a Clippers legend has been shown the door in a way that raises eyebrows. Blake Griffin signed a long-term deal in 2017-complete with a jersey retirement ceremony during the pitch-only to be traded to Detroit six months later.
DeAndre Jordan’s exit was less dramatic but still telling. After a decade with the team, he opted out in 2018 to sign with Dallas.
That came just a few years after his infamous free-agency saga in 2015, when he wavered between staying in L.A. or heading to Texas, ultimately needing a full-on house lockdown from teammates to keep him in place.
The Lob City era was electric, no doubt. From 2011 to 2017, the Clippers posted a .658 win percentage-tied for third-best in the league during that stretch, behind only the Spurs and Warriors.
Paul, Griffin, and Jordan all made All-Star and All-NBA teams. They turned the Clippers into must-watch basketball and, for the first time, real contenders.
But the window never opened quite wide enough. No Western Conference Finals appearances.
No Finals. Just a lot of high-flying highlights and what-ifs.
Now, nearly a decade removed from those peak years, the Clippers are still struggling to handle the legacies of the players who put them on the map. Paul’s departure-quiet, awkward, and tinged with finality-feels like déjà vu.
But if there’s any silver lining, it’s that Paul isn’t letting the moment define him. That Instagram post?
That was more than a throwback. It was a reminder of what they built together, and maybe a subtle nod to the irony of it all.
Because if the Clippers are going to keep doing Clippers things, at least CP3 can laugh about it with the guys who know exactly what that means.