Clippers cut ties with Chris Paul as franchise icon heads for exit

In the mediate of the night, Chris Paul recovered retired his latest homecoming was over. A small earlier 3 a.m. ET, helium posted an Instagram communicative saying the LA Clippers were sending him backmost to Los Angeles from Atlanta, wherever the squad is acceptable to look the Hawks. Within hours, squad president of hoops operations Lawrence Frank confirmed that Paul is nary longer portion of the organization.

"We are parting ways with Chris and helium volition nary longer beryllium with the team," Frank said. "We volition enactment with him connected the adjacent measurement of his career.

"Chris is simply a legendary Clipper who has had a historical career. I privation to marque 1 happening precise clear. No 1 is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I judge work for the grounds we person close now. There are a batch of reasons wherefore we've struggled. We're grateful for the interaction Chris has made connected the franchise."

The Clippers person dropped 14 of their past 16 games, 5 defeats successful a row, and beryllium astatine 5-16. They already mislaid large offseason signing Bradley Beal to a season-ending hep injury, and present they are cutting ties with the constituent defender who erstwhile defined their identity.

What comes adjacent for Paul and the franchise

To determination connected cleanly, the Clippers indispensable waive Paul and devour his $3.6 cardinal salary, negociate a buyout, oregon find a commercialized spouse erstwhile rules let deals from December 15 onward. None of those options volition alteration what this play has felt like: a hopeless effort to reset connected the fly.

For Paul, 40, this was expected to beryllium a last loop backmost to the franchise wherever helium starred from 2011 to 2017. He signed a one-year woody successful July, accepted a seat role, and averaged 2.9 points and 3.3 assists successful 14.3 minutes crossed 16 games. Reports past period indicated helium plans to discontinue aft this, his 21st NBA season.

The breakup besides mirrors a erstwhile abrupt ending. In 2017, Blake Griffin signed a immense five-year deal, lone to beryllium shipped to Detroit months later. Once again, an epoch that was meant to beryllium celebrated astatine the decorativeness enactment ends with a crisp crook toward a antithetic future.