Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Stunned by Unexpected Chris Paul Twist—You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!

The 2025 season for the Los Angeles Clippers kicked off with a thunderclap – and not the kind any fan wanted to hear. Sitting at a dismal 6-16 record, the high hopes that once surrounded this team have turned to bewilderment. Just when you thought the drama couldn’t escalate, the Clippers made the jaw-dropping decision to cut ties with Chris Paul, the very player heralded as the beacon for his swan song in the NBA. Talk about a plot twist! Even Kawhi Leonard did a double take, struggling to process the news that left the locker room and league reeling. How does a team go from fanfare to fallout so quickly? And with whispers of clashing leadership styles and fractured communication between Paul and coach Ty Lue, it’s a riveting tale of how accountability and chemistry can spiral into chaos. With trade and buyout complications looming, the Clippers’ season of turmoil is far from over — and it begs the question: can a team so tangled in internal conflict find its way back to coherence before the buzzer sounds? LEARN MORE

The 2025 Los Angeles Clippers season has been a disaster. They are 6-16 despite high expectations, but nothing has clicked to start the season. Now, they have dismissed Chris Paul after they made a lot of fanfare about bringing him back to the Clippers for his final NBA season. The move comes as a shock to the NBA world, including Paul’s teammates on the Clippers.

The move shocked the players on the team, and Kawhi Leonard even told the media he had to do a double-take after reading the news. Leonard said he was as shocked as everyone else, guessed the front office, had a conversation, and they parted ways from there.

“It was shocking to me,” Leonard said. “I guess they had a conversation, and the front office made a decision.”

The other superstar on the Clippers was just as shocked by the move. He said he was just as shocked as everyone else after he saw the news.

“I’m just as confused and shocked as you guys, the world,” Harden said Wednesday night after the Clippers snapped a five-game losing streak. “Definitely surprised me. But not just Chris, it’s a lot that we were dealing with. But that is out of my hands. I got to focus on what I have to focus on and what I can control. I guess the front office felt that was the best decision for the organization.”

According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Paul was not on speaking terms with Clippers head coach Ty Lue for several weeks before his abrupt exit.

One reason was that Paul and Lue clashed over their leadership styles. The 12-time All-Star was vocal in holding management, coaches, and players accountable. The Clippers believed Paul’s style had become disruptive because of that and thought that it was not sustainable.

“Don’t have a side [in this],” Lue said. “I don’t like it. It just didn’t work out like we thought it would. I don’t like it for CP. It just wasn’t a good fit, and we understood that. It was an organization [decision], they made the choice, and so moving forward, we got to see what we do.”

How the Clippers get rid of Paul remains to be seen because he can’t be traded until Dec. 15 at the earliest. Waiving him outright is also complicated with the Clippers being $1.3 million below the first apron and not allowed to exceed it in any transaction. The final option is for the Clippers and Paul to agree to a buyout, but in that case, another team would need a roster spot for him.

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