In a shocking move, the Los Angeles Clippers announced Wednesday that Chris Paul is no longer on the team.
This is the 21st and final season in the NBA for Paul, who confirmed on Nov. 22 that he planned to retire. And he intended to spend it with the Clippers, who he rejoined this past summer after spending six seasons with them from 2011-17.
Paul can now either hang it up or search for a new team to finish the season with, and it appears he has no interest in the former. ESPN’s Marc J Spears reported Thursday that he was told Paul does “absolutely not” want to retire mid-season.
So, what’s next for Paul? Will he stay close to home in Los Angeles? Will he try to join a championship contender, even if that means moving away?
Justin Martinez and Joe Mussatto gave their thoughts on the situation:
What was your immediate reaction to the news that the Los Angeles Clippers sent Chris Paul home?
Mussatto: That the Clippers have a “Clippers problem” much more than they have a “Chris Paul problem.” It’s a shame it ended this way. Paul is the best player in Clippers’ history. He put the lob in Lob City. Paul’s return to LA was sentimental, yes, but this was also a guy the Clippers were counting on. Turns out, Paul might be done as an NBA player, and if that’s the case, the Clippers are probably better off filling his spot with someone 20 years younger.
Martinez: That there’s no defending the Clippers. The franchise gets a lot of hate that’s unwarranted. It’s often laughed at for being the little brother of the Lakers, a label it can never shed. And it’s laughed at for its historically-bad 2019 trade for Paul George, which revisionists fail to mention is a deal most general managers would’ve also done. But in a season filled with strikeouts, the Clippers had the easiest home-run opportunity. Give your best player in franchise history a proper farewell tour. Instead, they dismiss him in the middle of the night while their bottom-of-the-barrel team is on a December road game in Atlanta. Shameful activity.
Should the OKC Thunder free up a roster spot to sign Chris Paul? If yes, who’s the most likely player to get moved?
Mussatto: Should the Thunder free up a roster spot? Yes. To sign Chris Paul? No. I’d be really surprised if Ousmane Dieng is on this roster after the trade deadline. I don’t know if Dieng is an NBA player or not — I lean no — but his NBA future isn’t in OKC. Given that he’s on the last year of his contract and hasn’t signed an extension, I expect the Thunder will trade him for a second-round pick. Then the most likely scenario is that the Thunder will elevate either Brooks Barnhizer or Branden Carlson to a standard contract to fill the Dieng void on the roster. Listen, I love Chris Paul, but I can’t see the Thunder bringing him back. That’s a big personality to incorporate. Paul likely wants minutes and wouldn’t get them in OKC. It’s not like they need his leadership, either. Plus, I doubt Paul wants to be away from his family in LA.
Martinez: I want to know what Paul views as a proper ending to his career. If he wants to reunite with another previous team, serve as a mentor and win a championship, OKC is the place. The Thunder is already likely to free up a roster spot by trading Dieng, as Joe mentioned. Would there be much harm in giving it to Paul, letting him retire this summer and then giving that spot to a two-way guy or an incoming rookie? I don’t think so. It’s not like Barnhizer or Carlson would play in a postseason run anyways, barring injuries. But again, what does Paul want? If he wants to play meaningful minutes in his last season, OKC isn’t the place. It has a starting point guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who’s an MVP candidate and a backup in Ajay Mitchell who’s a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Paul is unlikely to crack the rotation, and I don’t view that as a proper ending to his career, so I’ll say no.
If not OKC, which team do you want to see Chris Paul sign with?
Mussatto: The Lakers. It almost happened 14 years ago! One of the biggest NBA “what ifs” this century. What if David Stern hadn’t vetoed the trade sending Paul from the Hornets to the Lakers? I think CP is finally bound to wear purple and gold. To play for his old teammate JJ Redick and with his lifelong pal LeBron James.
Martinez: It makes the most sense for Paul to sign with the Lakers. Stay close to family, take some backup minutes away from Gabe Vincent and compete for a championship. That checks off the boxes. But I’ll also throw the Rockets out there as an option. No, Houston isn’t close to home. But it’s a former home, and Spears was told “Chris would cross that bridge when he gets there” when it comes to relocating. Houston will have more trade options after Dec. 15, and it could use a veteran point guard in the absence of Fred VanVleet. It’s a good fit on paper, but it comes down to whether Paul wants to move away from home again.
If Chris Paul has played his last NBA game, how should his career be remembered, particularly in Oklahoma City?
Mussatto: A top-five point guard of all time who means as much to Oklahoma City as any city he played in. You can’t tell the story of OKC’s unlikely path to becoming an NBA city without Chris Paul. And you can’t tell Chris Paul’s story without OKC. CP was the city’s first basketball superstar. His Rookie of the Year season happened right here, with Oklahoma City temporarily housing the Hornets post-Hurricane Katrina. One of Paul’s worst moments, his meltdown against the Thunder in Game 5 of the 2014 West semifinals, also happened here. And then came the reunion in 2019, when Paul carried a sophomore SGA and the Thunder to the playoffs. That 2019-20 season rejuvenated Paul’s career and reignited the love between CP and OKC. Paul isn’t an all-time Thunder great, but he’s an all-time Oklahoma City great.
Martinez: I’m retweeting everything Joe said. Paul helped plant the seed for basketball in Oklahoma City as a rookie with the Hornets in 2005-06, and he watered it as a veteran mentor with the Thunder in 2019-20. He deserves as much credit as any player for what this sport has grown into in OKC. He deserves to be recognized in some way once OKC opens its new arena in 2028. He deserves to go out on his own terms. And he deserves to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer once he does hang it up, whether that’s now or at the end of this season.