{"id":545700,"date":"2026-01-19T00:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T00:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/545700\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T00:40:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T00:40:29","slug":"chris-paul-shares-cryptic-message-sparking-lakers-trade-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/545700\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Paul Shares Cryptic Message Sparking Lakers Trade Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chris Paul<\/a> may not have said a word about the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>, but his latest social media post did plenty of talking. Earlier this week, Chris Paul shared an Instagram video of himself draining a long string of three-pointers, captioned simply: \u201c342\u2026\u201d while tagging JJ Redick with a saluting emoji. For NBA<\/a> fans familiar with Redick\u2019s routines, the reference was immediate and deliberate.<\/p>\n

The number \u201c342\u201d is the name of Redick\u2019s infamous offseason shooting workout, representing the exact number of shots he has made every Sunday for more than a decade. Redick previously explained the drill on the “Knuckleheads” podcast:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy offseasons were six days a week, two or three workouts a day. Saturdays off. Sundays make 342 shots exactly every Sunday in the off-season for the last 13 years\u2026 There\u2019s seven spots on the floor\u2026 plus 20 free throws, that\u2019s 342.\u201d<\/p>\n

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MORE: Warriors Get Concerning Stephen Curry Injury News After Win Over Knicks<\/a><\/p>\n

Paul and Redick spent four seasons together with the Los Angeles Clippers, so the familiarity isn\u2019t surprising. But the timing and the tag, raised eyebrows. Redick is now in his second season as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Lakers sit near the bottom of the league in three-point efficiency at 34.4 percent.<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s message didn\u2019t explicitly ask for a roster spot. It didn\u2019t need to. The implication was clear: he\u2019s healthy, he\u2019s training, and he\u2019s still locked into the disciplined work ethic Redick has always valued.<\/p>\n

That matters because Paul\u2019s situation remains unresolved. On Dec. 3, 2025, the Los Angeles Clippers announced they were parting ways with the 40-year-old guard, placing him in a holding pattern as the organization explores trade or buyout options. Paul has not played since Dec. 1, when he logged eight points and three assists in a loss to Miami.<\/p>\n

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MORE: Victor Wembanyama Shares Optimistic Update After Injury Scare<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite previously stating this would be his final NBA season, Paul made it clear he doesn\u2019t want his career to end in limbo. During a recent appearance on the “Good Sports with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson” podcast, he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working out, training every day. With the way all that stuff went down, I think for me, I just love this game so much that I don\u2019t want it to end like that\u2026 I don\u2019t know what team I hope to finish with.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, Paul continues to train daily at the Clippers\u2019 former Playa Vista facility, recently knocking down 20 straight three-pointers in another viral workout clip.<\/p>\n

Whether his post was a subtle Lakers signal, a nod to an old teammate, or proof he\u2019s staying ready, one thing is clear: Chris Paul isn\u2019t treating this season like a goodbye tour yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chris Paul may not have said a word about the Los Angeles Lakers, but his latest social media…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545701,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3790],"tags":[7,2596,1661,4034,1698,300,4044,251,150,4033,4043,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-545700","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-lakers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-chris-paul","10":"tag-jj-redick","11":"tag-la","12":"tag-la-lakers","13":"tag-lakers","14":"tag-lalakers","15":"tag-los-angeles","16":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","17":"tag-losangeles","18":"tag-losangeleslakers","19":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115918984760476802","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}