The Los Angeles Clippers recently made headlines for signing Bradley Beal after he agreed to a buyout of his contract with the Phoenix Suns. Now, the Clippers are poised to land top free agent Chris Paul, in what would be another major offseason move.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Clippers expect to land the 40-year-old after his stint with the San Antonio Spurs last season. Seigel said that even with Los Angeles making the Beal move, they are also hoping to add Paul to their already star-studded roster.
“Chris Paul is expected to also follow Beal and sign with the Clippers,” Siegel wrote in a post on X.
Paul, a 12-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selectee, last played with the Clippers from 2011-2017 in their ‘Lob City‘ era alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. He recently said on the Pat McAfee Show that he hopes to spend more time with his family in Los Angeles, which could point to the fact that he has been eyeing the Clippers for a while.
Insiders Around The League Making Predictions
Paul has also remained consistently linked to the Clippers. Weeks ago, league insider Marc Stein reported that LA strongly hoped to land both him and Beal this summer.
“The Clippers’ salary cap management has indeed opened the door to signing both Bradley Beal (conditional on a Phoenix buyout) and reuniting with Chris Paul,” Stein wrote on X. “The Suns and Clippers have been the two potential spots for Paul since June 29.”
Additionally, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne commented on Paul and his potential reunion with the Clippers.
“I think the Los Angeles Clippers make a lot of sense for him now,” Shelburne said on NBA Today after reacting to a clip in which Paul said he expects this upcoming season to be his last. “Now that they’ve traded Norman Powell, they need an extra reinforcement in the backcourt, and Bradley Beal is out there, but why not have both?”
The Clippers have the money to sign Paul to a veteran minimum, the same contract he took with San Antonio last season. As he has also expressed the notion that the 2025-26 season would likely be his last, it is safe to assume that the future Hall of Fame point guard would likely take a similar deal in hopes of winning his first NBA Championship.
Paul Is Still A Valuable Addition
Despite being one of the oldest players in the league, Paul remains a valuable asset in the point guard position, especially for a Clippers team that has a surplus of wings and perimeter players.
Last season with the Spurs, Paul averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.3 steals on 42.7% shooting while playing in all 82 regular-season games. While his scoring numbers were a career-low while playing alongside Victor Wembanyama, his assist numbers still ranked top-ten in the league, and he was one of only 11 players to appear in every single regular season game.
At 40, Paul ranks behind only LeBron James as the second-oldest player in the league. However, he has played in at least 70% of regular-season games in all but one of his 20 seasons in the NBA. He also trails only James in games played among active players, having logged 1,354 since 2005.
Paul’s consistency at his age would prove valuable for a Clippers team that, with Kawhi Leonard and now Beal, has struggled with injuries late in the season and during the playoffs. Los Angeles lost Powell but has added John Collins and Brook Lopez so far this offseason.
Though they would be one of the oldest teams in the league, they would also be one of the most experienced, poised to challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets as favorites to come out of the Western Conference as NBA Champions.
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