The Los Angeles Clippers are moving on from legendary point guard Chris Paul.
“Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home,” Paul, 40, wrote via his Instagram Story at around 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday, December 3.
The team has not announced an official transaction as of Wednesday morning, but president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank confirmed to ESPN that the franchise leader in assists and steals per game is no longer with the franchise.
“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team,” he said. “We will work with him on the next step of his career.”
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Frank, 55, added that Paul is not to blame for the team’s struggles. The Clippers are 5-16 on the season, have lost five straight games and have not won a game in regulation since October 31.
“Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career,” Frank continued. “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. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.”
The Clippers will now have to decide what to do with Paul’s contract. The team can try to agree with him on a buyout, pay him the $3.6 million remaining on his deal or find a way to trade him.
While Paul hasn’t announced anything officially, he strongly hinted that 2025-26 would be his last season in November when the Clippers were in his home state of North Carolina to face the Charlotte Hornets.
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“What a ride…Still so much left…GRATEFUL for this last one!!” he wrote via X at the time.
That same day, sources confirmed to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania that Paul planned to retire at the end of the season.
Paul was in his second go-around with the Clippers after playing in Los Angeles from 2011 to 2017. Over those seven seasons, he averaged 18.2 points and 9.6 assists per game, made five All-Star teams and led the league in assists twice.
After stretches with three other teams, Paul returned to the Clippers in 2025, signing a one-year deal with L.A. in July.
Over his career, Paul has become one of the most respected guards in the game. In addition to his on-court accomplishments, he also served eight years as president of the NBA Players Association.
“Twenty-one years, at some point you know it’s going to end,” his teammate James Harden said in November. “And I think he has already started his transition. Obviously he is still traveling and playing now, but his transition after the ]season] is going to be pretty seamless. He is always on the phone, making calls and in meetings and things like that. I’m definitely taking notes from him for whenever that time comes from me.”
Harden continued, “President of the Players Association, on the court having some really good runs with some different teams, just being a really good point guard. I think he’s No. 2 (all time) in assists and he has impacted the game and winning everywhere he went.”
