The Los Angeles Clippers made a shocking announcement earlier this week. They cut ties with Chris Paul, their 40-year-old franchise legend, less than a quarter of the way through his NBA swan song, and everyone else around the league took notice.
Teams part ways with over-the-hill veterans fairly often in this league, but this decision hit particularly close to home for a lot of fans. Paul is among the most decorated players still playing the game, one of the very best point guards to ever lace up and the greatest modern Clipper in the history of the largely-failed institution. It was he who helped guide Los Angeles’ “other team” from decades at the league’s basement, and the same organization to which he’d shown repeated loyalty suddenly cut his retirement tour short amidst his second, final stint with the team.
Nov 29, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) brings the ball up court during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
He remains on the team, but he was “sent home,” per his own Instagram story. The Clippers will decide whether to waive or trade him in the coming weeks.
Rumors quickly begun to swirl in guessed where he’d embark upon his next stop, assuming he even wanted to stick around following the ugly falling out he reportedly suffered with his newest teammates, with the New York Knicks quickly budging to the front of the line of the more intriguing Paul landing spots. Even with the glut of guards on their roster, he still has some passing and wisdom to offer, and he’d likely appreciate one last shot at that elusive ring.
How Antsy are the Knicks?
It didn’t take long for those whispers to get smited, though, with SNY’s Ian Begley snuffing out the whispers on the same day that Paul abruptly returned to free agency.
“I’m told it’s highly unlikely at this point for that to come to fruition,” he said ahead of the Knicks’ hosting of the Charlotte Hornets. “[The] Knicks like their team, and that’s where it sits.”
“Not much has changed on the Knicks-Giannis Antetokounmpo front”@IanBegley discusses what it would take for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to happen, how the knicks feel about their squad right now, and how it’s “highly unlikely” for the Knicks to be trade suitors for Chris Paul pic.twitter.com/8L1MNyRB36
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025
Questions surrounding how trigger-happy the Knicks are were already relevant given the considerably more pressing trade rumors that have recently circulated New York. It’s sounded as if they have a real chance to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar who has a better chance of improving New York’s current title chances than the older, bench-warming Paul.
As enticing as that possibility is, the Knicks hold firm that they’re happy enough with the current start of their team to avoid the splashy move that the fans desire.
Paul’s yet to make a public announcement related to his intentions on where, or if, he wants to finish out his 21st campaign, but it sounds like he’s less likely to abandon his beloved Western Conference with the league’s biggest market seemingly-crossed off of his list of possibilities.