The blindsiding erupted out of nowhere, catching CP3 and Clipper fans both completely off guard
In a wildly shocking bombshell that dropped overnight, it is confirmed that the LA Clippers are sending veteran point guard Chris Paul away from the team and even imply that a trade may be on the horizon for the future Hall of Famer.
Around 3:00 AM on Wednesday night, Paul posted “Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home,” followed by a peace emoji to his Instagram stories. At the time, the obscure post left fans puzzled before Clippers Front Office Executive, Lawrence Frank, released a public statement sealing the deal. “We are parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be a part of the team. 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.”
Fans are already expressing backlash towards the move, rumbling with anger and frustration all over social media and voicing their disapproval of the Clippers’ decision to treat Chris Paul, arguably the greatest Clipper of all time, with this level of disrespect. Back on November 22nd, Paul stated publicly that he was set to retire after this season, which was all but confirmed by fans ever since he signed back with the franchise in the offseason to purposely send off his career in a Clippers uniform. Fans from around the nation, as well as globally, have been traveling to attend Clippers games and watch Paul play one last time despite the horrendous season thus far.
Long-time fans of the Clippers may be feeling déjà-vu about the poor treatment of Chris Paul due to what occurred back in 2018, when the team unexpectedly traded former Clippers power forward, Blake Griffin, to the Detroit Pistons after signing a massive contract. At the time, fans also let their criticisms and confusion be heard, citing the move as an act of betrayal to another Clipper legend who had hopes of eventually retiring for the franchise.
It’s no secret that the Clippers are off to a historically bad start to the season, currently sitting at the 14th seed in the Western Conference with an atrocious 5-14 record. The vibes of the team are at an all-time low not felt since the days before the franchise entered its famous “Lob City” era, an era ironically led by Chris Paul himself in tandem with Blake Griffin, whose talents helped put the team on the map as a now-premier franchise which made waves with the high-flying “Lob City” era that produced numerous playoff runs and several players who earned All-Star recognition from 2011 to 2017.
The 41-year-old player is now in his 21st season in the NBA, currently averaging 2.6 points and 3.3 assists. Paul began his legendary career with the New Orleans Hornets during the 2005-2006 season, earning the impressive Rookie of the Year award, and quickly garnered a reputation as one of the best playmakers in the league, standing out as an elite passer with an outstanding crossover and mid-range game, along with excellent leadership skills and a remarkable basketball IQ. He eventually earned the nicknames “CP3” (due to his initials and the #3 he wore on his jersey) and the “Point-God” because of his “pass-first” style of facilitating the hardwood.
His illustrious basketball portfolio includes 12 All-Star selections, two Olympic gold medals and four All-NBA first team selections. He currently ranks second in total assists with 12,552 and was the first player ever to tally 20,000 points and 10,000 assists.
If this is a sign of things to come, then the Clippers must be leaning towards going full-nuclear and blowing up the team to start from scratch, though it’s hard to imagine why getting rid of 41-year-old Chris Paul, the greatest Clipper of all time, who’s already on the brink of retirement, would do the team any good. We’ll see what details emerge surrounding the move in the coming days.
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