Chris Paul Waived by Clippers Mid-Farewell Tour, Sparking Outrage and Reflection
The NBA world didn’t get a blockbuster trade or a major injury update on December 3 - but the news that broke still sent shockwaves through the league.
The Los Angeles Clippers have waived Chris Paul in the middle of what was supposed to be his farewell tour - and fans are not taking it lightly.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t just any veteran being let go. This was Chris Paul, one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, a franchise icon in Los Angeles, and a player who helped redefine the Clippers during his prime years. To see him cut loose midseason - and at 3 a.m., no less - felt jarring, even for a league that rarely slows down for sentiment.
The backlash was immediate and loud. On social media, fans voiced their frustration and disbelief, calling it “disrespectful,” “a new low,” and “unprecedented.”
One comment summed up the sentiment bluntly: “The Clippers! They don’t retire jerseys.
They retire hope!”
It’s hard to argue with the emotion behind those words. Paul is 40 now, and yes, his production has dipped.
Through 16 games this season, he averaged 2.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 rebounds while shooting just 32.1% from the field - all career lows. But this wasn’t about numbers.
This was about legacy.
Paul signed a one-year minimum deal to return to the Clippers for one final run - a farewell tour with the team where he made five straight All-Star appearances and helped lift the franchise from irrelevance to respectability. He didn’t even make it to January.
And while the Clippers have bigger problems right now - including a lawsuit involving owner Steve Ballmer over the Kawhi Leonard deal and a looming pick swap with the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder in 2026 - waiving CP3 doesn’t exactly help the optics. Especially with James Harden carrying the load as Leonard remains sidelined. The last thing this team needed was more drama, but here we are.
A Look Back at CP3’s Suns Era
While his Clippers tenure defined a big chunk of his prime, Chris Paul’s time with the Phoenix Suns gave fans a glimpse of what greatness looks like deep into a player’s 30s.
Traded to Phoenix from Oklahoma City in a deal that included Ty Jerome, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Jalen Lecque, and a first-round pick, Paul made an immediate impact. In his first season with the Suns, he guided the team all the way to the NBA Finals - their first appearance since 1993, when Charles Barkley led the charge.
That 2020-21 season was vintage CP3. He averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting nearly 50% from the field and 39.5% from three.
He also led the league in free-throw percentage at 93.4%, earned All-NBA Second Team honors, and finished fifth in MVP voting. Not bad for a guy in his mid-30s.
The Suns fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in six games, but Paul’s impact was undeniable. Alongside Devin Booker and a core of Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and Deandre Ayton, he helped turn Phoenix into a legitimate title contender.
The following season, Paul kept it rolling, leading the league in assists (10.8 per game) while adding 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals. He made his 12th All-Star team and earned All-NBA Third Team honors. Even at 36, he was still orchestrating like few others in the league.
Across three seasons in Phoenix, Paul averaged 15.1 points, 9.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. His 93.4% free-throw shooting in 2020-21 remains the second-best mark in Suns history, trailing only Steve Nash’s 93.8% in 2009-10.
What’s Next?
There’s no official word yet on where Paul might land next - if anywhere. A reunion with Oklahoma City, the team that’s currently torching the league with a 21-1 record, feels unlikely but would be poetic. The Thunder own the Clippers’ 2026 pick swap, and if LA continues to spiral, that selection could be a golden ticket for OKC’s already stacked young core.
But no matter what comes next, Chris Paul’s legacy is secure. He’s a surefire Hall of Famer, a Point God in every sense, and a player who elevated every team he touched - even if his final chapter in Los Angeles didn’t get the ending it deserved.
Suns fans will always remember that magical 2021 Finals run, and Clippers fans, despite the way things ended, know what CP3 meant to their franchise.
It’s not the ending anyone hoped for. But it’s a reminder that even legends don’t always get to write their final scene.