The Clippers surprised NBA fans when they released Chris Paul overnight.
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank confirmed the move in a statement via text to ESPN:
“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,” Frank said. “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 are in Atlanta for a game against the Hawks on Wednesday night. At 2:40 a.m., Paul posted to his Instagram story, “Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home.”
The 12-time All-Star who’s second all-time in assists, averaged 2.9 points, 3.3 assists per and 14.3 minutes in 16 games this season amid the Clippers’ 5-16 start. He saw limited playing time before Bradley Beal suffered a season-ending hip injury.
Paul announced in November the 2025-26 season would be his final one.
The stunning move ends Paul’s second stint with the Clippers.