Chris Paul is returning to Los Angeles, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), who hears from the point guard’s representatives at CAA that Paul has agreed to sign with the Clippers for what will likely be his last season.
It will be a one-year, minimum-salary deal for Paul, per NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
Paul received interest from a number of teams during free agency, but was known to be prioritizing an opportunity to play close to his family in Los Angeles. He reportedly rebuffed interest from Eastern Conference suitors like the Bucks and Hornets, as well as non-West Coast clubs like the Mavericks. The Clippers and Suns were long viewed as the most likely landing spots for the future Hall of Famer.
Paul, who turned 40 in May, spent six seasons with the Clippers from 2011-17 during what was arguably the most successful stretch of his NBA career. He received MVP and Defensive Player of the Year votes in each of his first five seasons in Los Angeles and was an All-Defensive first-teamer in all six years. He also made five consecutive All-Star teams and earned five All-NBA nods (three first-team and two second-team) in his first go-round as a Clipper.
While Paul is no longer in his prime, he started every game for San Antonio last season, marking just the second time in his 20 NBA seasons that he has made 82 regular season appearances. The former Wake Forest standout averaged a career-low 8.8 points per game for the Spurs, but contributed 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per night while making 37.7% of his three-point attempts and 92.4% of his free throws.
Paul has started 1,314 of his 1,354 career NBA games, with all 40 of those appearances off the bench coming in Golden State in 2023/24. It’s unclear if he’ll get a chance to be part of the starting five in L.A. next season, with James Harden, Bradley Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and defensive ace Kris Dunn all in the backcourt mix as well.
Still, having Paul on the roster further solidifies the depth chart for a Clippers team that has made several notable veteran additions with limited resources this offseason. The club split its mid-level exception on Beal and Brook Lopez, traded Norman Powell for John Collins, and will now bring Paul aboard on a minimum-salary contract.
Once their signing of Paul is complete, the Clippers will have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts. They won’t have enough breathing room below their first tax apron hard cap to add another veteran-minimum player before the season begins.
Lob city is back!!!
I don’t think they even have a true lob threat on this roster lol.
Them days are gone for most of these guys.
Zubac can dunk lobs.
Clippers offer John Collins, Zubac, picks and cash to the Lakers for LeBron James and LeBron Jr
This might be the dumbest trade suggestion that I have seen on this site, and that’s really saying something. Is 40 year old LeBron supposed to be playing center minutes in this scenario? Because you just traded your entire starting frontcourt for a player that can’t be full time during the regular season anymore.
Wake up csual. Brook Lopez would be starting at C not LeBron. Your response might be the dumbest I have seen on this site. PG. Harden SG. Beal SF. Leonard PF. LeBron C. Lopez. Go away K-kid
Obviously you’re the casual if you watched any basketball last year. Brook Lopez was played off the floor by the Pacers in the playoffs. He is no longer a starting center in this league and is not as mobile or young or athletic as Zu and Collins. Having Brook try to play 40 minute a game all season would be a disaster.
I don’t know if it is the all time dumbest suggestion. This site is full of dumb trade suggestions by people who know players only for their highlights and don’t know anything about basketball or the salary cap. But, yeah, that is a moronic trade suggestion,
Don’t forget we are talking about the Clippers :)
Big name players are a thing for them. Even if they are injury prone.
Commercially the Clippers would sell a lot of jerseys…
But I just dont see it happening :)
Zubac has more value in a trade as a player than LeBron. Great contract, borderline all-NBA (I’d vote for him over Harden) and was the biggest reason LAC won 50 games last season.
Same as Bane, who had a lot more trade value than KD.
That’s an awful trade offer lol
Harden AND Paul = not seeing the second round.
CP is 40 year old back up at this point. Not fair at all to put playoff expectations on his performance.
Davey has a personal vendetta against Paul. Ignore the troll.
Davey J will literally deep throat anything warriors but can’t fathom any other teams being solid.
WRONG, Davey J. Clippers are freaking LOADED top to bottom now.
Loaded with senior citizens lol should have built around Zubac and Powell
They did (Collins is 4 years younger than Powell).
They turned Powell into John Collins and Bradley Beal. Despite what you may think, Beal is the same age as Powell and he is a better player.
Better player is a stretch. The combination of Collins and Beal is definitely better than just Beal replacing Powell. Powell should’ve been an all-star. Beal didn’t even sniff it.
I also think Powell is a better defender
Don’t assume Davey J knows anything about basketball. He’s just a warriors fan not a basketball fan.
These Clippers are like a team of old-timers getting together to play softball and drink a case of beer. As an old fart myself, I’ll be rooting for them.
Clippers better hope they are all healthy, otherwise OKC gets another 1st round pick from LAC.
“OKC will receive the two most / more favorable of its 2026 1st round pick, HOU’s 2026 1st round pick protected for selections 1-4 and the LAC’ 2026 1st round pick and WAS will receive the least / less favorable of these; if the HOU pick falls within its protected range and is therefore not conveyed, then HOU will instead convey its 2026 2nd round pick to OKC”
The Clippers already owed OKC their first next year unprotected at the last piece of the Paul George trade. The Thunder have just traded the least favorable of like all their five first round picks to a different team. That’s what all that language is. The Clippers straight up do not have a first round pick next year, no matter where they end up in the standings.
Yea but it hurts less when that pick is in the middle/late first round rather than in the lottery.
Yeah, I just read it’s unprotected. Oh dear….
2nd team back up PG. He is at the point of his career just hoping to get lucky and get a ring.
TEAMS IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE THAT SCARE THE HECK OUT OF ME, AS OF THE MORNING OF 7/21/25
(RANKED)
1. NUGGETS
2. THUNDER
3. CLIPPERS
4. ROCKETS
5. MAVERICKS
6. LAKERS
7. WOLVES
8. WARRIORS (still expecting them to move up at least a few notches eventually)
Why do the Lakers, Clippers, Rockets and Mavs scare you? Steph, Dray and Jimmy are cooking all those teams next year.
I’d like to know exactly what GSW can do and who can they get if they let Kuminga walk. From what I can gather, they will be able to pay someone $14M and another around $6M from their exemptions. On top of that they will be able to get more veterans who want slightly more than the vet mins. OR can GSW and CHI trade Kuminga for Giddey?
You’ve gotta be as unbiased as possible when making these types of lists. Dubs have two highly inexperienced centers, and the clock is ticking with Draymond – in more ways than one, you could say. That’s why I’ve been pushing for MDJ to trade him NOW while he still has good value.
Harden ran Chris out of town in Houston. Has to be weird coming to Clippers to be his backup. The Franchise you help put on the map.
CP3 will help most in the playoffs. He adds depth to Clippers. Which is always a good thing. He will pay dividends most in the playoffs. Health is what all teams need. Especially the Clippers, Sixers.
Clippers are a playoff team. They should be better than last yrs team. Crazy that in 2026 we are still hoping Kawhi will stay healthy. CP3 had a great career. Good to see it end where it all started for him.
Even though CP3 is an ex-Clipper, I am surprised the Lakers never came up in trade talks.
He may have gotten run out of H-town but that Paull/Harden squad had the KD Warriors on the ropes in the 2018 western conference finals. If not for Paul injuring his hamstring and missing 2 games the Rockets win that series.
No they weren’t. 2018 Warriora were still winning that series with or without injuries.
That Rockets team was injury free the next year and the Warriors owned them.
That 2018 series went to a game 7 despite Paul missing 2 games and the Rockets were in that game 7 despite having a historically bad shooting performance from 3. Anyone who says the Warriors would definitely have still won that series if Paul plays in all 7 games is delusional. What happened in 2019 does not prove anything. Even so the Warriors did not “own them” – the 2019 series went 6 games and all the games were close.
Just to clarify, the Clippers is not “where it all started” for CP3. It all started with the Hornets. He’d been in the league for 6 seasons before he suited up for the Clippers.
With that roster the clippers are well on their way of winning the 2021 championship
LAL too
LAC are just a Time Machine away from one of the best teams in NBA history.
LAL too