Chris Paul’s shocking exit from Clippers might be his final NBA move
Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul confirmed he was retiring at the end of this season. Not long after, he officially parted ways with the Clippers, potentially ending his career in a shocking move. Things have gone horribly wrong for the Clippers, and while losing Paul’s production isn’t going to hurt very much at all, it speaks to how disastrous this has all been.
Chris Paul leaves Clippers in stunning career move
Based on the reporting, it seems as if the Los Angeles Clippers were the ones driving this decision. They decided to part ways, with Chris Paul’s leadership style as a veteran player reportedly butting heads with head coach Ty Lue.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Paul and Lue were not on speaking terms for weeks before the Clippers decided to pull the plug. Apparently, Paul was vocal in holding everyone, coaches, front office members, and players, accountable for what had been a distressing start to the season.
"This decision had nothing to do with one incident or one meeting that did or did not happen," President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank said. "Some of our business, respectfully have to keep in-house, but this didn't come down to just a one incident and one meeting. It just wasn't the right fit. ... We had conversations with Chris throughout, even before we started -- call it the onboarding process -- and throughout. So this isn't like an isolated one-conversation decision. No, these are fluid throughout."
The decision was passed down to Paul in a three-hour, emotional meeting. Paul’s most iconic tenure in the NBA was as part of the Lob City Clippers, so it’s no surprise that his being ushered out in his literal final NBA season hurt him.
"There's a ton of history between Chris -- not just with the franchise but with me," Frank added about that conversation. “II had a ton of conversation with Chris leading up to this. I'm a very, very direct person and going through all the different plausible things. Chris and I have had conversations throughout.”
Frank said he cares about Paul, which is why the meeting was so difficult and why it had to last so long. It’s not a “Moneyball” sort of thing, the executive said. Head coach Lue, who was reportedly at the center of this debacle with Paul, expressed his opinion on the future Hall of Famer’s exit as well.
I don't think the reason why we're 5-16 is because of CP's play. I just think that it wasn't a good fit for what he was looking for. Do I want to see CP go out like this? No, I have a lot of respect for him. He's been a friend of mine over the years and you don't want to see a great go out like this. But I'm pretty sure he will find something because he's a great player. [But] I didn't want to see it end like this,” he admitted.
For now, Paul has nothing lined up. When the news first broke, the Clippers were said to be helping him in the next steps, but the legendary point guard has not signed anywhere yet. At 40, his role on an NBA team will be that of a mentor, so teams with young guards might be interested. Otherwise, his illustrious career might just fade out with this startling end. It would be a disappointing end to what has otherwise been one of the best careers in NBA history. This was his one chance to return to the team he’s a franchise leader in many stats for, and it’s a little shocking that it came to this, and it’s very disappointing that teams aren’t lining up to try and get his mentorship for a little bit.
