The Los Angeles Clippers have fallen far short of expectations through the first quarter of the season. They’re 6-18, have the 23rd-ranked net rating in the league. They’ve gone just 2-8 in their last 10 games, and things came to a head last week when it was announced that the team would be parting ways with franchise legend and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.
It was a shocking move that is still difficult to fathom, as Paul’s harsh criticism of the team’s poor start was the reported reason for being sent home while the Clippers were preparing to play the Atlanta Hawks on the road. In the aftermath of L.A.’s decision, there was a report that said Paul and Clippers coach Ty Lue were not on speaking terms for weeks. On Tuesday, though, Lue refuted that claim.
“That ain’t true,” Lue said. “We were talking. How’s he gonna play if I’m not talking to him? There was a stretch where he wasn’t going to play and be out of the rotation, it was tough for him because he’s a competitor. But after that, it wasn’t really much.”
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Former Clippers star Blake Griffin said on an NBA on Prime broadcast that Paul told him Lue and team owner Steve Ballmer have not reached out to him since the decision. Lue confirmed that to be true.
“Yeah, I haven’t heard from him either,” Lue said.
The long-time Clippers coach also noted that he was not part of the decision to part ways with Paul. When asked about why now was the time to make this decision, Lue said, “You’ve got to ask [Clippers president] Lawrence [Frank].”
The Clippers’ plan forward is to work with Paul in hopes of facilitating a trade to a destination he prefers, per Jake Fischer. With the 40-year-old guard announcing in late November that he plans to retire at the conclusion of this season, it’s fair to wonder if he would just call it a career right now. But Fischer is reporting that Paul is more likely than not planning on finishing out the season with another team. It’s a sour way for Paul’s Hall of Fame career to end, especially because he signed with the Clippers specifically to retire with the team that he experienced the most success with and led for many seasons.
Now, though, that won’t be happening. Finding a team willing to take on Paul may be difficult, and the veteran guard isn’t simply looking for a roster spot. Paul wants to find a place where he can be a meaningful contributor, something that was not the case with the Clippers this season. He was averaging a career low in minutes, despite starting all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs a season ago.
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There’s a world in which Paul could provide a young team with veteran leadership and still have a spot in the rotation, but it’s a matter of which team is interested in bringing him in for the rest of the season. His strong leadership style didn’t work on a Clippers team with two superstars in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, but his words could make a positive impact on a young core still developing.
Over the summer, Paul drew interest from the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, per Fischer. Of that group, the Mavericks seem like a logical fit. Paul may not start every game, especially when Kyrie Irving returns, but he could provide guidance for the likes of Cooper Flagg and a young backcourt of Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard, the latter of whom has been a breakout star for Dallas.
But that’s assuming the Mavericks, or any of the above teams, are still interested in Paul. Right now, though, the Clippers are in a holding pattern until Dec. 15 when Paul is eligible to be traded. But in three games since the announcement, the Clippers have gone just 1-2. So sending home a franchise icon certainly hasn’t helped things.
