Clippers send Chris Paul packing in a stunning, late-night move

In what is the latest low in a season of woe, the LA Clippers announced early Wednesday morning that they will part ways with point guard Chris Paul, who last month announced that this will be his last season before he retires.

The Clippers are in Atlanta, where they are set to visit the Hawks Wednesday night after a blowout loss Monday to the Miami Heat that dropped their record to 5-16. Paul signified at 2:40 a.m. ET that the Clippers were letting him go, posting on his Instagram stories account: “Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home” with a peace emoji.

It is 2:40am in Atlanta and Chris Paul just posted this pic.twitter.com/YZpzPckDql

— Law Murray 🎄 (@LawMurrayTheNU) December 3, 2025

The decision was not Paul’s and not one that was initiated by Paul, league sources told The Athletic.

Clippers basketball president Lawrence Frank issued a statement confirming the decision.

“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team. We will work with him on the next step of his career,” Frank said in the statement. “Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. 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.”

Monday night, Paul was one of four Clippers in uniform who did not play in the fourth quarter of a game the team trailed by as many as 38 points, its biggest deficit of the season. Joining Paul on the bench were former Houston Rockets teammate James Harden, free-agent signing Brook Lopez and two-way contract forward Jordan Miller. While Miller left the game with a back injury, the rest were coach’s decisions, with Lopez remaining out since a loss at Cleveland on Nov. 23 and Harden benched after his fifth turnover.

It marks an unceremonious ending to Paul’s second stint with the franchise he first joined in 2011. Since then, the Clippers have had 14 consecutive seasons with a winning record, with Paul on the roster for the first six. Paul had announced his retirement in a social media post on Nov. 22 with the team in Charlotte.

“What a ride… still so much left… GRATEFUL for this last one!!”

Back in NC!!! What a ride…Still so much left…GRATEFUL for this last one!! 🤞🏾 pic.twitter.com/1ZaJSqsWRD

— Chris Paul (@CP3) November 22, 2025

Amid a Clippers season that has gone off the rails, Paul hasn’t addressed the media since that sentimental post. He did acknowledge a farewell video shown by the Clippers during the first half of a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Friday at Intuit Dome.

I guess this is what y’all needed to see lol pic.twitter.com/NUhFCOJlfw

— Law Murray 🎄 (@LawMurrayTheNU) November 29, 2025

Before the team’s road trip, Paul posted a screenshot on Instagram of the Oxford English Dictionary definition of the word “leeway,” suggesting that a lack of accountability was an issue with the Clippers.

Now, the Clippers will weigh their options, as will Paul. The team will be able to trade Paul, who signed a one-year contract in July, on Dec. 15. The Clippers have no incentive to cut him unless Paul gives back a chunk of his guaranteed salary in a buyout. The Clippers may also prefer to use Paul’s salary in a trade as dropping his salary helps the Clippers manage the first apron. Paul’s salary counts $2.3 million against the salary cap and the first and second aprons.

Paul is a 12-time All-Star, an 11-time All-NBA selection and a nine-time All-Defense selection. He has won Olympic gold medals playing for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Games and 2012 London Games, and was a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Only Utah Jazz Hall of Famer John Stockton has more career assists. Paul was the first player to score at least 20,000 points and record 10,000 assists.

The Clippers have a history of less-than-ideal partings with veteran players. In early February 2022, the Clippers traded Eric Bledsoe after half a season; Bledsoe never played in another NBA game. In 2023, the Clippers traded point guard John Wall at the February trade deadline; Wall never played another NBA game. In the 2024 offseason, the Clippers traded Russell Westbrook despite him picking up his player option and stating that he wished to continue his career in his hometown. And in the 2024 preseason, the Clippers sent veteran forward PJ Tucker home, with Tucker later traded in February.

Now, Paul joins former teammate Blake Griffin as the latest great Clipper to leave the team in the middle of the season. Griffin was traded to Detroit in Jan. 2018, months after signing a contract extension following Paul’s first departure from the franchise.

Paul has had a difficult season, his 21st in the NBA and first after turning 40 years old. In 16 games, Paul has averaged only 14.3 minutes while scoring 2.9 points and adding 3.3 assists. Those are all career-lows, along with a shooting percentage of 32.1 percent from the field. The Clippers began phasing Paul out of the rotation before fellow offseason acquisition Bradley Beal suffered a season-ending hip injury, and Paul wound up being a DNP-CD in five games before getting back on the court on November 17 in Philadelphia.

Paul would tell The Athletic: “21 years, always ready” upon his reintroduction to playing meaningful minutes. In a stop in Orlando, Paul signed jerseys for a fan after taking pictures with Magic guard Anthony Black.

Mans had damn near all the @cp3 jerseys pic.twitter.com/G4zmrodXz0

— Law Murray 🎄 (@LawMurrayTheNU) November 21, 2025

When Paul checked into the game in Charlotte, he was greeted with an ovation by the Hornets crowd. Paul wound up making his first shot of the game, a 3-pointer. It wound up being the last win Paul was a part of with the Clippers, as LA is on a five-game losing streak.

Nice moment for Chris Paul in his home state as he comes into the game for the first time pic.twitter.com/vLz8LszjBN

— Law Murray 🎄 (@LawMurrayTheNU) November 22, 2025

— The Athletic’s Sam Amick and John Hollinger contributed.