Chris Paul says Los Angeles Clippers are sending him home from his trip, adding a shocking twist to what is expected to be the veteran point guard's final NBA season.
“Just found out I’m being sent home,” Paul wrote on social media around 3 a.m. Wednesday, adding a peace emoji.
The struggling Clippers are in Atlanta for a road game against the Hawks on Wednesday night. Los Angeles lost to Miami on Monday night to fall to 5-16 in a very disappointing start to the season.
Paul, 40, is playing his 21st match. NBA season, and last month he strongly hinted that it would be his last. The 12-time All-Star and two-time Olympian was a four-time All-NBA First Team selection and ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists. He was the first player to score at least 20,000 points and record at least 10,000 assists.
He became perhaps the most accomplished player in Clippers franchise history, leading the team to six winning seasons from 2011 to 2017, including the Clippers' first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. Floor returned to Los Angeles as a free agent Last July, he returned to a fan-favorite franchise while also having an outside chance to compete for his first championship alongside Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Lawrence Frank, the Clippers' executive basketball executive, released a statement to multiple media outlets early Wednesday morning confirming Paul's departure. He noted that the Clippers will try to trade Paul, who signed a $3.6 million deal to return to Los Angeles.
“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be part of the team,” Frank said. “We will be working with him in the next phase of his career. Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing clear. No one is blaming Chris for our poor performance. I take responsibility for the record we have now. There are many reasons we have struggled. We are grateful for the impact Chris has had on the franchise.”
Paul has not spoken to reporters since he hinted at retiring while the Clippers returned to his native North Carolina. But he noted the Clippers' video retrospective of his career during a timeout at the Intuit Dome last week. The video ended with the words “Congratulations Point God” on the screen.
Paul really can't be blamed for the Clippers' major struggles this season because he hasn't played much.
He's averaging 2.6 points and 3.3 assists while playing just 14.3 minutes per game—career-lows—and he didn't play at all in five straight games in mid-November. Paul had eight points and three assists while playing 15 minutes against the Heat in his final game with the team, a game in which Harden and other starters were effectively benched, the latest sign of discord on coach Tyronn Lue's team.
The Clippers are on a five-game skid and heading into Wednesday's games they are tied with Sacramento for the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Injuries have limited Leonard to just 10 games, with guard Bradley Beal already lost to season-ending hip surgery.
The Clippers' streak of 14 consecutive winning seasons is the longest active streak in the NBA, but owner Steve Ballmer's club has yet to show signs of discord this season – and they now move forward without a historically talented point guard and franchise favorite.
