TThe LA Clippers reportedly have three options to consider regarding Chris Paul after sending the legendary point guard home on Tuesday night.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Clippers can either 1) waive his $3.6M guaranteed contract and eat his salary, 2) trade him to another team after he becomes trade-eligible on Dec. 15, or 3) buy him out and release him into free agency.
The front-office insider added that the Clippers are currently not permitted to sign a 15th player because they are a first-apron team.
Marks further noted that the Clippers won’t be able to replace Paul with a free agent for at least two weeks — if they choose to waive him. As such, the easiest course of action could be to trade Paul for another player on a veteran-minimum contract.
Clippers Will ‘Work’ With CP3
In a statement issued by Lawrence Frank, the president of basketball operations for the Clippers, the franchise made it clear that they will “work” with CP3 to find him the best course of action in his farewell season.
“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team,” Frank said in a statement, via ESPN. “We will work with him on the next step of his career.”
“Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.”
The statement more or less confirmed that Paul will likely suit up for another team before calling time on his illustrious 21-year career.
Chris Paul Next Team?
Further to Frank’s statement, HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan highlighted that there was no mention of the Clippers waiving Paul, suggesting that a trade could be coming.
“No explicit mention of waiving Chris. Sounds like they’ll keep him on the roster and try to trade him later,” reported the NBA salary-cap expert. “He is trade-eligible on December 15. Either way, feels like the Clippers are about to shake things up a bit.”
Analysts have floated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks as possible destinations for Paul.
Paul, who mentored a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during his brief stint with the Thunder in 2019-20, was in attendance for the 2025 NBA Finals and did not hide his excitement when his protege clinched his first NBA title.
With the Thunder the overwhelming favorites to repeat, Paul could ride off into the sunset by capturing his elusive ring by hitching his wagon to SGA and Co.
Chris Paul averaged 2.9 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 steals from 14.3 minutes per contest before being sent home by the Clippers. Last season, he started all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs, proving that he still has a lot left in the tank.
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