Chris Paul may have suggested weeks ago that he planned to retire after this season, but being sent away from the team and parting ways with the Clippers is not how he wants his career to end.
Paul “absolutely” does not want to retire mid-season, reports Marc Spears of ESPN.
Paul, who signed a veteran minimum contract with the Clippers this summer, cannot be traded until after Dec. 15 and the Clippers reportedly will look to find a new home for the future Hall of Famer. However, any teams that have any interest in him would rather wait to pick him up on the buyout market after the trade deadline — or, after the Clippers just release him — than give up anything in a trade.
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Paul is known for being a very vocal leader, unafraid to call out anyone — teammates, coaches, management — in meetings and in private, and over the course of his career, that has worn thin at places. With the Clippers stumbling out of the gate, the relationship between Paul and coach Tyronn Lue reportedly grew strained, to the point that they were no longer speaking. That’s when the decision to send Paul home and keep him away from the team was made.
Whatever one thinks of the reasoning, the Clippers’ handling of Paul’s exit — with the news leaking at nearly 3 AM Eastern while the team was in Atlanta — was not smooth. It caught Clippers players off guard, as they told Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“I’m just as confused and shocked as you guys, the world,” (James) Harden said … “Definitely surprised me. But not just Chris, it’s a lot that we were dealing with. But that is out of my hands. I got to focus on what I got to focus on and what I can control. I guess the front office felt that was the best decision for the organization.”
“It was shocking to me,” (Kawhi) Leonard said. “I guess they had a conversation, and front office made a decision.”
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The Clippers did go out after all this drama and picked up a quality win in Atlanta, 115-92. LA is still 6-16 on the season and sitting 13th in the West.
