Former OKC Thunder star Chris Paul has been inactive since his current club, the LA Clippers, sent him home and effectively ended his reunion with the franchise back in early December due to underwhelming play and ineffective leadership.
Now, two months later, the point guard still finds himself shelved and trapped in Los Angeles' clutches, as his one-year, $3.63 million deal remains on their books as they continue to look for a potential trade partner.
Amid his hiatus, reports are that Paul has continued to train as if he's preparing to play again here in 2025-26, though, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, there has been "no substantial movement toward finding him a new home" ahead of Thursday's deadline.
Ex-Thunder star Chris Paul finds career in limbo as deadline approaches
By all accounts, considering his long-standing relationship with the organization, coupled with his status as one of the game's all-time greats, Los Angeles is willing to help the veteran land with a team that gives him the best shot of claiming his long-coveted NBA Championship.
Unfortunately, the trade market for Paul is all but dried up, as not many contending teams are willing to part with assets for a 40-year-old who, on top of declaring this to be his final year, was averaging a mere 2.9 points and 3.3 assists across 16 games played this season.
At this point, the most likely scenario for Paul is that the February 5 deadline comes to pass with him remaining in Los Angeles, where he'll then come to some sort of buy-out agreement with the front office that will allow him to become an unrestricted free agent and sign with any team he pleases.
Perhaps the concept of coughing up assets for the veteran may not be all that appealing to title-hopeful squads around the league, but signing him for a minimal cost on the open market could be an enticing option, especially for teams that are in need of some experienced backcourt depth.
Heck, there's an argument that the Thunder could even fall into this category amid their recent injury woes, as they have a severely limited supply of ball-handlers at their disposal behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Regardless of how things play out, Chris Paul deserves a proper send-off to his legendary career.
Whether he's dealt ahead of Thursday's deadline, or manages to part ways with LA via buyout and signs somewhere else in free agency, the Point God should see year 21 of his career play out on the hardwood, not on the couch.