ATLANTA – When Los Angeles Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden went to bed Tuesday night, Chris Paul was still their teammate. Or so they thought.
“I woke up and saw it on social media,” Harden said after the Clippers beat the Hawks, 115-92, Wednesday in their first game since the team chose to part ways with Paul.
“I’m just as confused and shocked as you,” Harden said.
“I read a little bit about it in the morning,” added Leonard. “I didn’t even know what Chris was talking about (on social media). I had to re-read the message and see what was going on.”
As you probably know by now, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank decided to send Paul home, permanently, and will either trade him once he is eligible to be moved on Dec. 15, or buy him out of his contract. The decision was a shocker, given that Paul, 40, in his final NBA season, re-signed with the Clippers as a free agent and is considered arguably the franchise’s greatest player because of his historic stint with it from 2011-17. The news was first unveiled in an Instagram post by Paul at 2:40 a.m.
Frank and Paul met face to face for three hours, beginning at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, because the Clippers’ plane from Miami to Atlanta was delayed by several hours due to a mechanical issue. Both Frank and coach Tyronn Lue said Paul was not a “good fit” on the team. Paul was often critical of teammates and coaches in meetings, multiple league sources said, wearing their patience thin while the team was losing and Paul wasn’t playing much.
Leonard said he was not privy to negotiations last summer around Paul’s role were he to return to LA.
“I wasn’t in those conversations with them and what they agreed to before you know the year started in the summer,” Leonard said. “All I know is my conversations with him and it was always positive. Looking to find ways to get the team better and what ways we could get better as a unit.”
Harden, who led the Clippers with 27 points on Wednesday as they snapped a five-game losing streak, said the team’s problems were “not just Chris.”
“It’s a lot that we are dealing with,” Harden continued. “That right there is out of my hands (parting ways with Paul). I gotta focus on what I can control. But it was definitely a surprise. I guess the front office felt that that was the best decision for the organization.”
Leonard added 21 points in the win on Wednesday, and Ivica Zubac scored 14 points with 17 rebounds. The Clippers also played defense, for a change, limiting the Hawks to 40 percent shooting one game after coughing up 140 points in Los Angeles’ last game with Paul — a blowout loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night.