Chris Paul’s Clippers Exit Marks a Quiet, Painful Ending to a Storied Career
In a season where little has gone right for the LA Clippers, the franchise made a move early Wednesday morning that underscores just how far things have unraveled. The team is parting ways with veteran point guard Chris Paul-just weeks after he announced this would be his final NBA season.
Paul, now in his 21st year in the league and playing at age 40, broke the news himself in the early hours of the morning from Atlanta, where the Clippers are set to face the Hawks. At 2:40 a.m.
ET, Paul posted a simple message on his Instagram story: “Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home” followed by a peace emoji. It was an abrupt, raw moment that said more than any press release could.
The move wasn’t initiated by Paul, according to league sources. Instead, it was a front-office decision, confirmed by Clippers basketball president Lawrence Frank in a statement later that morning.
“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.”
It’s a tough pill to swallow for a franchise that once rode Paul’s brilliance to six straight winning seasons and perennial playoff contention. Now, at 5-16 and reeling from a blowout loss to the Miami Heat, the Clippers are facing hard truths-and Paul is the latest casualty of a season veering off the rails.
A Quiet Fade from the Spotlight
Monday night’s loss to Miami was telling. Paul didn’t see the floor in the fourth quarter, benched alongside fellow veterans James Harden, Brook Lopez, and Jordan Miller. While Miller exited with a back injury, the others were healthy scratches-coaching decisions in a game that saw the Clippers trail by as many as 38 points.
It was the kind of game that makes you take stock. For Paul, it was another sign that his time in the rotation-and perhaps in the league-was nearing its end.
This second stint with the Clippers was never meant to be a victory lap. But it also wasn’t supposed to end like this. Paul had announced his retirement plans back on Nov. 22, posting a heartfelt message from Charlotte, North Carolina-his home state-during a road trip.
“What a ride… still so much left… GRATEFUL for this last one!!”
That post was the last time Paul addressed the public directly. He’s kept quiet since, even as the Clippers’ season continued to spiral. He did acknowledge a tribute video the team played during a home loss to the Grizzlies last week, but otherwise, Paul has let the silence speak.
A Hall of Fame Career Nears Its Final Chapter
Paul’s résumé is as decorated as they come: 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, 9-time All-Defensive Team. He was a driving force behind Team USA’s gold medal runs in 2008 and 2012. He’s a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, and only John Stockton has more career assists.
He’s also the only player in NBA history to reach both 20,000 points and 10,000 assists.
But this season has been a grind. In 16 games, Paul averaged just 14.3 minutes, 2.9 points, and 3.3 assists-all career-lows.
He shot 32.1% from the field. The Clippers began phasing him out of the rotation before Bradley Beal’s season-ending hip injury temporarily opened up minutes again.
Even then, Paul was a DNP-CD five times before returning to the court in mid-November.
When he did play, the flashes were fleeting. In Charlotte, he was greeted with an ovation and knocked down his first shot-a corner three. It was a brief moment of warmth in a season that’s been otherwise cold.
That win in Charlotte would be the last game Paul was part of that ended in a Clippers victory. The team has dropped five straight since.
A Familiar Pattern for the Clippers
Paul’s departure continues a pattern that’s become all too familiar in recent years for the Clippers-veterans being ushered out midseason or shortly after joining the team.
Eric Bledsoe was traded in 2022 and never played another NBA game. John Wall met the same fate in 2023.
Russell Westbrook was moved in the 2024 offseason despite opting in and expressing a desire to stay in his hometown. And PJ Tucker was sent home during the 2024 preseason before being traded months later.
Now, Paul joins that list-another respected name exiting quietly, with more questions than answers left behind.
What’s Next?
Paul is on a one-year deal and becomes eligible to be traded on Dec. 15.
Whether another team sees value in adding a future Hall of Famer for a playoff push remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: this isn’t how Paul envisioned his final season going.
Still, if there’s one thing we’ve learned over two decades of watching Chris Paul, it’s this-he’s always been ready. Whether it was leading Lob City, orchestrating a turnaround in Oklahoma City, or mentoring young stars in Phoenix, Paul has always found ways to impact the game beyond the box score.
As for the Clippers, they’re left to pick up the pieces of a season that’s quickly slipping away. And for Chris Paul, the final chapter is still being written-but it won’t be in Los Angeles.