The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have made up their mind about adding former 12-time All-Star Chris Paul to their roster this season.

The 6-foot point guard, 40, has been sent away by his current club, the LA Clippers, after venting his frustrations about the team’s lackadaisical effort. As of this writing, Paul does remain officially a Clipper, as he has yet to be waived or traded.

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Paul has been linked to the other LA team, the Lakers, in trade chatter. His connection to the team dates as far back as 2011, when the Lakers traded for him as part of a multi-team deal that would have shipped Pau Gasol out to the Houston Rockets. The league, which owned Paul’s then-team, the New Orleans Hornets, ultimately scuttled the deal.

He went on to enjoy plenty of success during his first stint with the Clippers, from 2011-17. Paul followed that up with productive runs for the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Phoenix Suns. He was even a useful cog for the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs during his recent post-All-Star run — but he has fallen off a cliff this year.

Paul’s Abysmal Season So Far

Through 16 healthy bouts for the Clippers, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer has been averaging 2.9 points on .321/.333/.500 shooting splits, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds — all, obviously career lows.

Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports that Paul is not on the Lakers’ radar this season. For a team whose biggest issue is defense along the wing, that makes sense. Paul can no longer provide that service.

“I’ve also been strongly advised not to expect the Lakers to emerge as a potential landing spot for Paul,” Fischer reports.

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Paul, whose family has been based in Los Angeles since his first run with the Clippers, had reportedly been hoping to remain around the city as he wraps up his NBA career in 2025-26.

Fischer notes that the Rockets could use some point guard help in the wake of Fred VanVleet’s possibly season-ending ACL tear in September, although the team for now apparently is happy with its present roster.

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