The LA Clippers have parted ways with franchise legend Chris Paul just 21 games into the NBA season. President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank confirmed the decision, citing a lack of fit despite initial intentions. The move follows reports of friction within the organization.
Late Tuesday night, 40-year-old point guard and 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul announced on his Instagram story that he had been sent home by the Clippers. Lawrence Frank released a statement confirming Paul would no longer be with the team. Speaking to reporters via Zoom on Wednesday morning, Frank described the decision as difficult but necessary.
"It just wasn't working out the way that I had planned, the way we had planned," Frank said. "And it's unfortunate. You don't take decisions like this lightly at all, especially a guy that's meant so much to the league and so much to our organization. But we just felt it was the right decision to make."
ESPN's Shams Charania reported friction between Paul and head coach Ty Lue, among others. When asked about a specific incident, Frank emphasized keeping details in-house: "This decision had nothing to do with one incident or one meeting that did or did not happen. Some of our business, respectfully, have to keep in-house… It just wasn't the right fit."
The Clippers had re-signed Paul for a reserve role, with Frank stressing role awareness in July: "Role awareness, especially in this next roster spot, will be critical." Early in the season, after a 114-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers that improved the team to 2-1, forward John Collins praised Paul's leadership: "Always in my ear… He’s just leading me in the right direction."
However, the Clippers have struggled since, going 3-15 to fall to 5-16 overall. Frank acknowledged the mismatch: "Chris has a very good leadership style… But this one just didn’t work at this time." Paul, who spent 2011-2017 with the Clippers, now faces an uncertain future after this second departure from the franchise.