Chris Paul’s Sudden Exit: What Really Sparked the Clippers’ Shock Decision to Send Him Home Early?

It’s the end of the road for Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers — a surprising twist no one saw coming this late Tuesday night. Paul found himself sent back home mid-road trip, a move he shared himself on Instagram, while the team headed to Atlanta for their next clash. The Clippers officially announced their separation early Wednesday, leaving fans and analysts scrambling for answers about what really went down behind the scenes. Clippers president Lawrence Frank made it crystal clear: no fingers are pointed at CP3 for the team’s struggles, and gratitude remains for the veteran’s monumental impact. Still, with the Clippers languishing near the bottom of the Western Conference and Paul on the twilight of an illustrious 21-year career — a career he’d already decided would wrap after this season — the plot thickens in a major way. What does this mean for the future of one of the game’s greatest point guards? Stay tuned, because this sudden split shakes up not just a franchise, but the narrative of Paul’s final chapter in the NBA. LEARN MORE.

Chris Paul’s time with the Los Angeles Clippers is over.

Paul was sent home by the franchise late on Tuesday night in the middle of their five-game road trip, he revealed on his Instagram story. The Clippers are in Atlanta ahead of a game against the Hawks there on Wednesday night.

The Clippers confirmed that they were parting ways with Paul early on Wednesday morning. Specifics of their split are not yet known.

“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team,” Clippers president Lawrence Frank said in a statement, via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “We will work with him on the next step of his career.”

“Chris is a legendary Clipper who had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. 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.”

Paul is in his 21st season in the league this fall, and he already announced that it will be his last. He struck a one-year, $3.6 million deal with the Clippers this last offseason, reuniting with the franchise that he spent six seasons with earlier in his career. That move to return to Los Angeles, he said at the time, was a ‘no-brainer.”

Paul has played for seven franchises throughout his career and is a 12-time All-Star. He’s led the league in assists five times and led the league in steals six times. While he’s not won an NBA championship, there is no doubt that Paul is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best point guard to ever play in the league.

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The 40-year-old has averaged 2.9 points and 3.3 assists per game this season while coming off the bench consistently for just the second time in his career. He had eight points and three assists in 15 minutes off the bench on Monday night in their loss to the Miami Heat.

The Clippers have gotten off to an awful start this season. They will enter Wednesday’s game with just a 5-16 record, which is the second-worst in the Western Conference ahead of only the New Orleans Pelicans. They have lost five straight, too, and eight of their last nine.

Clearly, the team is looking to shake things up. The final few months of Paul’s career after this sudden split with the Clippers, however, is suddenly in jeopardy.