The Los Angeles Clippers announced early Wednesday that they are “parting ways” with veteran point guard Chris Paul, ending the 12-time All-Star’s second stint with the franchise less than three months into the 2025-26 season.
“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement released to multiple outlets. “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.”
The move surfaced shortly after Paul, 40, posted an Instagram story that read, “Just found out I’m being sent home,” accompanied by a peace-sign emoji. League insider Chris Haynes reported the separation at approximately the same time.
Decision came from the team
According to sources cited by The Athletic’s Law Murray, the decision was initiated by the Clippers, not by Paul. The future Hall of Famer had signed a one-year, veteran-minimum contract over the summer, declaring the 2025-26 campaign would be his final NBA season.
Limited role and slow start
Los Angeles opened the year 5-16, and Paul’s on-court impact was modest: 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per game while shooting 32.1% from the field across 16 appearances. He fell out of the rotation for several games in November before reentering due to injuries elsewhere on the roster.
Waiver, buyout or trade?
Although the sides have split, the Clippers are not expected to waive Paul immediately. The club sits roughly $1.28 million below the first-apron hard cap and carries only 14 standard contracts. Releasing Paul would drop that number to 13, a violation the team could not remedy until January 7, when it regains cap flexibility to add a prorated minimum deal.
Paul becomes trade-eligible on December 15, and league sources expect the Clippers to explore the market unless the guard agrees to a buyout. The New York Knicks have already discussed pursuing Paul to bolster their backcourt depth, but any deal would require them to send out at least one minimum-salary player to stay under their own hard cap.
Paul previously played for the Clippers from 2011-17, helping anchor the franchise’s “Lob City” era. His departure follows earlier exits by former co-stars Blake Griffin and others from that period.
Source: Hoops Rumors
