Chris Paul, Clippers parting ways: Buyout, trade or retirement next?

Chris Paul and the LA Clippers are parting ways.

The 40-year-old point guard announced Wednesday morning that he was being sent home to Los Angeles from Atlanta, where the Clippers play the Hawks. He had signed with the Clippers on a one-year deal in July, reuniting with the franchise where he played six seasons (2011-17).

After starting all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season, Paul has averaged just 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes in 16 games for the Clippers, who are 5-16 and struggling badly.

The Clippers can’t trade Paul until Dec. 15, but they could waive him and pay out his $3.6 million salary or agree to a buyout.

What’s next for Paul and the Clippers, who lost Bradley Beal to a season-ending hip injury last month? Which teams could have interest in adding Paul for the rest of the season? And if this is the end of his career — he announced in November that he would retire in 2026 — how will his time in the league be remembered? ESPN’s reporters and analysts weigh in:

Jump to a question:How much does Paul have left?Which teams could make sense to add him?What are the Clippers’ options now??Can L.A. turn around its season?How will Paul’s career be remembered?

Why did this reunion not work out in L.A. this time?

Both sides had good intentions, but this just wasn’t a fit.

President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank made it clear Wednesday morning that Paul is not being blamed for the Clippers losing 14 of 16 games. But clearly, if the Clippers and Paul, to a lesser degree, had played better, any other issues that led to this parting probably would have been more tolerable.

The Clippers made it clear to Paul when they signed him that he would play a reserve role and there would be nights when he wasn’t in the rotation. He wanted to stay in Los Angeles and retire with the Clippers. He didn’t play in five straight games last month but then played in the eight games with his minutes fluctuating. Nothing has gone as planned in what has been a disastrous season, however.

Paul has spent his entire career as an outspoken leader who is known for being stubborn at times. But he isn’t alone in what has made the Clippers a 5-16 team. They look and play old. In a time in which the trend for teams is to to load up on younger players who play fast, they loaded up on vets with the playoffs in mind.

The Clippers’ other key signings of Beal and Brook Lopez have not yielded the results they hoped, either. Beal is out for the season and Lopez has fallen out of the rotation. What L.A. has in mind next remains to be seen, but the franchise is moving on without Paul after just a few months. — Ohm Youngmisuk

How much does Paul have left?

It was a surprise that Paul couldn’t get more playing time with the Clippers this season. As a member of the Spurs in 2024-25, Paul was one of six players in the league to start all 82 games, ranked seventh in assists (7.4 per game) and had an on/off differential of plus-9.0 points per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass, which ranked in the 92nd percentile leaguewide. At 39 years old, he definitely wasn’t in his prime anymore, but he still ranked as an average point guard, which seemed to make him an ideal option for a backup role in Los Angeles.

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But Paul’s performance declined dramatically in his limited time this season. He shot just 32% from the field and attempted two total free throws in 16 games; out of 296 players with at least 200 minutes played this season, Paul ranks 279th in player efficiency rating and 277th in box plus/minus. The most bearish sign of all is that Tyronn Lue, an excellent coach, seemed to lose faith in Paul’s ability to turn things around, playing him less even as the Clippers’ season went awry.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Paul has nothing left, but the early returns weren’t promising. For years, he enjoyed a smooth, gradual decline — but the drop-off in his age-40 season has been sudden and steep. — Zach Kram

Which teams could make sense to add Paul?

While his former teams — the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets — make the most sense on paper, neither are an ideal fit based on how the season has played out. The Suns have overachieved (13-9) and have gotten strong guard play this season from Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. Gillespie is averaging a career high 13.3 points and 5 assists. In his two recent starts, he combined for 52 points. Phoenix does have an open roster spot but would go further into the luxury tax. They are $402,000 above it already.

The Rockets are in a similar position, as they are not allowed to sign a 15th player until early January. Even without starting point guard Fred VanVleet, they rank No. 1 in the league in offense. They have, however, given up the 11th-most turnovers so far.

The Los Angeles Lakers have an open roster spot and could be an option next month, but they are not allowed to sign a 15th player until Jan. 19.

Besides those three teams, Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Miami, Minnesota, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia and Toronto have an open roster spot. Only Atlanta, however, is not a luxury tax or apron team. The Dallas Mavericks have used two-way player Ryan Nembhard at point guard recently. They would need to open up a roster spot to sign Paul. They are also hamstrung to sign a player because of the second apron.

Expect more roster spots to open up after Jan. 7. That is the date when teams have to make a decision with players who are on partially guaranteed contracts. — Bobby Marks

What are the Clippers’ options to add to their roster?

The Clippers are in a holding pattern. Paul’s $3.6 million contract was guaranteed, and he is not allowed to be traded until Dec. 15, which is the date free agents who signed in the offseason can be dealt.

While they can waive Paul now and take on his salary ($2.3 million would count against the cap), they are not allowed to replace him because they are $1.3 million below the first apron. The earliest they can sign a replacement is Jan. 7, unless there is a separate trade to drop further below the apron.

More importantly: The Clippers are not allowed to have fewer than 14 players on their roster for more than 14 consecutive days. For example, if Paul is waived prior to Dec. 22, they will fail to meet the minimum roster requirement. — Marks

Is there any chance the Clippers turn around their season?

There are a couple reasons to think the Clippers’ 5-16 record exaggerates their deficiencies: Their 2-7 record in clutch games will probably even out as the season continues, and their opponents probably won’t keep making 39% of their 3-pointers, the second-highest mark in the league.

But more broadly, the Clippers’ slow start doesn’t look like a fluke. They rank 20th in offensive rating, 27th on defense and 24th on net, and their Pythagorean record — which estimates a team’s expected record based on point differential — is 7-14. While Kawhi Leonard has missed 10 games, they’re only 3-8 when he plays versus 2-8 when he doesn’t, and their other best players (James Harden and Ivica Zubac) have missed just one game combined.

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Other teams at the bottom of the Western Conference standings are also struggling: The Clippers have a better Pythagorean record than the Kings, Pelicans and Jazz, and they’re only slightly behind the Mavericks. But even if they climb above those four teams in the standings, they’d still only be in 11th place in the West, which wouldn’t even qualify for a play-in spot.

The Clippers are already three games back of 10th place and 5.5 games back of eighth — which means even in a realistic best-case scenario, they’d have to win a couple play-in games just to reach the playoffs and face the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. — Kram

If Paul doesn’t get picked up, what will his NBA legacy be?

It’s hard to know where to start because Paul has been front and center of so many important moments of NBA history. From his rookie year as the New Orleans Hornets relocated to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, to the trade to the Lakers, which was famously vetoed by NBA commissioner David Stern — acting as the owner of the Hornets — to the subsequent trade to the Clippers to form Lob City, along with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

Then there was the scandal with Clippers owner Donald Sterling who was banned from the NBA for life for racist remarks made to a former mistress, while Paul was there. Don’t forget Paul’s work in setting up the NBA Bubble during the 2020 season. Or his impactful run as president of the NBA Players Association. There’s more we could list and Paul might tell those stories himself one day as he’s already begun pivoting into the media world.

But his basketball legacy might end up being one of the last true point guards. In his prime, he was nicknamed The Point God because of his mastery of the position, ability to run the game and statistical brilliance.

The game has changed radically the last few decades, though. Point-guard skills are found at every position. Centers like Nikola Jokic or forwards like Luka Doncic control the games like Paul did. The reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who counts Paul as a friend and mentor, is more of a hybrid guard who can score as well as run and offense. Paul is a true point guard in the mold of John Stockton or Isiah Thomas or Jason Kidd. He will finish his career behind only Stockton in career assists. And among players 6-feet or shorter, he ranks first in career assists, steals and rebounds. — Ramona Shelburne