Inside the ugly Chris Paul-Clippers divorce — and a season on the brink of disaster

THE WIRELESS INTERNET worked well on the private plane Chris Paul flew from Atlanta to Los Angeles the morning after he was unceremoniously sent home and into an uncertain basketball future.

Only a few hours had passed since LA Clippers president Lawrence Frank informed Paul that the organization was parting ways with the best player in franchise history — just 21 games into what was supposed to be a karmically and narratively pleasing retirement tour.

Instead, the season had devolved into disaster, both for the 40-year-old future Hall of Fame point guard and the team. LA was 5-16 and 14th in the Western Conference.

Confusion bubbled across the league. What was so bad that the Clippers needed to urgently send Paul home from a road trip in the middle of the night? What had gone so wrong, so quickly that the team couldn’t wait one more week to make this move at home?

The move bewildered many in the NBA, including a man whom Paul had barely spoken to since the two led the Lob City-era Clippers, which had ended in 2017.

Blake Griffin’s relationship with Paul was frosty in the best of times. But over the past few years there had been signs of it thawing. Nice comments about each other through the media. Griffin even contributed to a tribute video when Paul moved up to second on the NBA’s all-time assists leaderboard last season.

Griffin sent a text to Paul that morning as he flew home. He knew he might be the only person who could really understand what Paul had experienced: a cold dismissal by a franchise that had once celebrated him too.

Paul called Griffin as soon as his plane landed. Via FaceTime, they added the third co-star of Lob City, DeAndre Jordan.

It marked the first time the three had been together in eight years, an era that ended with Paul’s trade to Houston and Griffin’s shocking trade to Detroit just six months after he’d signed a maximum contract extension.

The irony that this trauma bonding buried whatever had been between them all these years was not lost on any of them. Paul posted a screenshot of the FaceTime on Instagram showing all three former Clippers smiling.

They laughed at the absurdity of it all.

Griffin has retired and moved on to a thriving career in television. Jordan is winding down his career at the end of the bench for the woeful New Orleans Pelicans. Paul had thought he was doing the same with the Clippers until the night before, when Frank told him the decision to send him packing had already been made and that none of his arguments to stay mattered anymore. It was a nice story until it wasn’t.

What transpired, instead, was a toxic combination of miscalculations, miscommunication and shocking underperformance from a team many had picked as a dark horse in the loaded Western Conference.

Everyone went in with good intentions: an opinionated future Hall of Fame player at the end of his career hoping for one final ride with his former team; that team, which is near the end of its largely disappointing, hugely pressurized Kawhi Leonard experiment — which has resulted in exactly one conference finals appearance in six seasons — hoping their former front man could address a leadership vacuum it has struggled to fill.

But endings are rarely clean or painless in the NBA. And this one — for both player and team — was born out of the most flammable combination in sports: misconceptions and dysfunction.

The Chris Paul reunion in Los Angeles was more than simply doomed from nearly the beginning; it might also serve as foreshadowing of a future for the Clippers even more challenging than their present.

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THE CALL BETWEEN Paul, Griffin and Jordan lasted about 90 minutes, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the conversation, mostly because it took Paul that long to try to make sense of the events that led the Clippers to discard him.

There were a few arguments with head coach Tyronn Lue and especially associate head coach Jeff Van Gundy. There had also been multiple meetings with Frank about being more positive and not engaging in activities the organization perceived as «divisive.»

«There really wasn’t one thing,» said one source close to the situation. «This isn’t like JR Smith throwing the soup in Cleveland.«

But there was a wild divergence in expectations of what Paul’s role on the team would be when he signed as a free agent on a one-year, $3.6 million contract this summer, multiple sources said.

The team envisioned Paul’s role as an end-of-the-bench, veteran leader who needed little maintenance, sources said.

As brilliant as stars James Harden and Leonard can be on the court — both are generally well-liked by teammates and respected — neither has ever been regarded as a vocal leader. No one on the current Clippers roster fits that description except Paul, which seemed to be part of the appeal of signing him.

In the release announcing Paul’s signing, Frank said Paul would play a «reserve» role. Multiple sources said Frank described Paul’s role as very limited to multiple players, who were concerned about how Paul’s presence might affect their own roles.

Over the course of several discussions during the summer, Paul, who started 82 games last season for the San Antonio Spurs, had said he was OK with the outlines of that role, sources said. But he had also stressed that he wanted a chance to compete and that he’d do the best he could to be an extension of the coaching staff.

The reunion began with alignment. Paul flew to Phoenix directly from Carmelo Anthony’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts, to attend an offseason camp with Harden and other teammates, sources said. Once he returned to L.A., he invited players to his workouts and to his suite at SoFi Stadium to watch Los Angeles Rams games.

At media day, Paul was put forth as a credible voice as the franchise dealt with the fallout from a salary cap-circumvention investigation. It was precisely the type of role it seemed he’d been brought back to play.

But once Paul began playing it, the Clippers seemed to recoil. When he offered suggestions to a player about training methods, he was warned not to undermine the staff, sources said. When he’d challenge players on or off the court, or tell them how to run a play, there were complaints from both players and coaches that he was abrasive.

«That’s how Chris is,» one executive with another team said. «He wears you out. He’s convinced he’s right — and he often is right, which kind of pisses you off — and he’ll go around to everyone until you agree with him.»

All this became even more pronounced in training camp, as Paul quickly became a standout as the leader of the second unit, which was routinely beating the starters.

«We were kicking their ass,» forward John Collins recently told ESPN. «Everyday we were kicking [the starters’] ass.»

Paul played 19 minutes a game during the preseason, averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 assists. It was a much heartier role than had been discussed in the summer.

«I think that’s where Ty went wrong,» said one source close to the situation, «because that really empowered Chris and changed the expectations.»

Lue liked Paul’s competitive spirit, and he played well in the time he was given. And the team needed him with Leonard, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Bradley Beal nursing injuries coming into the season.

It was then, multiple sources said, that the schism began to develop.

«If all they wanted was a cheerleader,» the executive said, «why did they sign Chris Paul? I mean, they had him before. They knew what he was like.»

AFTER THE TEAM was blown out in its season opener against the Utah Jazz, sources said Paul attempted to get players to talk about the loss as they came into the locker room.

It was the kind of thing Paul would routinely do on other teams. But the Clippers’ locker room, full of veteran players and coaches, is not particularly active, even after wins, sources said. So Paul’s attempt to encourage dialogue fell flat.

A few nights later, after a win over New Orleans, Paul and his wife hosted a Halloween party for players and staffers in a club at the Intuit Dome. It was meant as a culture-building exercise, and afterward Frank and others commended Paul for doing it, despite only a handful of players attending, sources said.

Then the Clippers didn’t win a game for almost two weeks.

Three of those losses (two against the Phoenix Suns, one against the Oklahoma City Thunder) came against teams Paul had recently played for, and at one point, sources said, he asked a member of the coaching staff why he hadn’t been consulted on how those teams, and particularly their star players, Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, operate.

The question, or perhaps its delivery, was not thought to be constructive, sources said.

Paul was benched for the second half of a game in Phoenix on Nov. 6, despite both Harden and Leonard being out of the lineup that night.

The next morning, Paul went to the facility early to get in a workout.

The first person he encountered was Frank, and the two agreed to talk. During the meeting, sources said Paul raised concerns about the team’s culture — noting the lack of conversation in the group text chat and the lack of time the players spent together off the court.

Frank, for his part, stressed that Paul’s style wasn’t in line with what they needed it to be — that his leadership was being perceived as subversive rather than helpful.

Later that day, Paul and Lue talked on the phone for 40 minutes. It was their final substantive conversation before Paul was sent home nearly a month later, on Dec. 2. (Every other interaction was short or via text, sources said).

The call began with Paul asking Lue why he’d been benched for the second half of the Clippers’ game the night before, a game in which the Clippers led by three points at the half only to lose by 13.

Paul suggested having a meeting among team leaders and holding more practices on off days.

Lue told Paul he was coming across as too critical of players and coaches and needed to understand — and own up to that.

A call that was meant to resolve festering issues and clarify roles ultimately did neither. Later that day, Lue informed Paul he would not be in the rotation for the next game.

He did not elaborate but with the team struggling defensively — LA’s top-five defense from a season ago had struggled against younger, faster offenses — and something had to be done to change the dynamic.

The next day, Nov. 8, during the game against the Suns, tensions spread to the bench. Paul and Van Gundy somehow found themselves shoulder to shoulder on the bench. It was the first game of what would be five consecutive DNP-CDs. For a long time, neither man said a word.

Eventually Paul broke the awkward silence, snarkily asking Van Gundy if he wasn’t talking to him.

Van Gundy scoffed in response, multiple sources who witnessed the exchange said, and questioned Paul’s earnestness.

The next day at the facility, Paul had another long meeting with Frank, sources said. In it, he gave Paul a «final warning» about being divisive. Paul also had another tense meeting with Van Gundy that day too, trying to resolve the previous night’s exchange and other issues that had caused friction between them.

Both meetings ended well enough that Paul asked and was granted permission to talk to the team. Frank also said he’d try to facilitate a meeting with Lue.

On Nov. 11, an off day after a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Paul stood in front of the team and apologized if he’d come off as too negative or divisive.

WHATEVER DETENTE WAS achieved through Paul’s mea culpa didn’t last long.

The Clippers went just 2-13 in November, continuing to lose even after Paul returned to the rotation and Leonard returned from a foot injury.

During that stretch, on Nov. 22 Paul announced this would be his final year — officially turning the rest of this season into a retirement tour. He had tried to inform team owner Steve Ballmer of his impending decision, before he announced anything, but sources said they didn’t connect until afterward and that conversation ended up being their final one.

The Clippers wanted to honor him with a tribute video, but Paul told them it was the wrong message to highlight in the middle of a losing streak. So on Nov. 28, before what would prove to be the third to last game of his time with the Clippers, the team released a video.

The caption said Paul would «end his Hall of Fame career at home.»

It took less than four days for that to prove false.

On Nov. 30, tensions between Paul and Van Gundy came to a head on the team’s flight to Miami.

Van Gundy had been upset the night before that Paul had openly questioned how the coaching staff had used Leonard’s limited minutes toward the end of the team’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks, their seventh in eight games. Leonard was coming off a minutes restriction and was defending a red-hot Klay Thompson, known for his movement without the ball. That took a lot of energy, Paul had argued.

Van Gundy accused Paul of changing the coverage without approval.

Paul responded that he had only «suggested» switching Leonard’s defensive assignment because he had bumped up against his minutes restriction.

To prove his point, Paul stood up and walked down the aisle of the plane to Leonard and Kris Dunn and asked them if he’d suggested a change or actually changed the coverage, multiple sources who witnessed the interaction said.

Both players affirmed that he’d suggested it, sources said. The interaction was brought up again to other players on the team during the flight, and sources said that subsequently got back to the coaching staff and front office.

That night, the team decided they’d finally had enough.

«He was a pain in the ass when he was a great player,» another executive with a different team said. «And now he’s not a great player.»

Frank wanted to deliver the news to Paul in person, which meant he had to either tell him Monday before the team’s game against the Heat or Tuesday in Atlanta.

Frank chose Atlanta, but the meeting got pushed back because the team’s flight was delayed out of Miami by six hours, after another loss. Around 11 p.m., inside Frank’s hotel room at the Four Seasons, he told Paul of the team’s plans to send Paul home, adding that he hoped to work with Paul on how the statement would be announced and that he hoped the team could still retire Paul’s jersey one day, sources said.

Paul was stunned, sources said, and tried to plead his case. At one point, he brought teammate Brook Lopez into the room as something of a character witness.

Lopez and Leonard were Paul’s most ardent supporters on the team, sources said. Paul reminded Frank that he’d asked him to facilitate another meeting with Lue and that hadn’t happened. Frank acknowledged that, but held firm. The decision had been made.

With that, it was over.

In the days since, Paul has been home, waiting for the team to trade him or buy him out. He’s working out at the team’s old facility in Playa Vista, which, sources said, was recently acquired by the NBA Players Association, of which Paul was president from 2013 to 2021. He attended the NBA Cup semifinals game between the Spurs and Thunder, two of his former teams.

While the conversation around his departure has died down, the question of why the team exposed itself to criticism by the timing and fashion in which they did it remains.

«I don’t even like him that much,» one source said. «But this isn’t a G League guy. This is Chris Paul. There’s ways to do it where he can save a little face.»

The Clippers won their first game they played without Paul, a 115-92 win over the Hawks. But then dropped three in a row to the Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Rockets. On Monday at home, they lost to the Grizzlies 121-103 to fall to 6-20.

On Thursday, they’ll play the 24-2 Thunder, the league’s best team.

Games against the Thunder always stir talk about the trade that sent each franchise in wildly different directions. Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning regular-season MVP and Finals MVP, used to be a Clipper. Jalen Williams, the Thunder’s All-NBA swingman, was drafted with a pick that was acquired from the Clippers in the ill-fated trade for Paul George in 2019.

And of course, the Clippers’ pick in the 2026 draft is unprotected and owed to the Thunder as part of that deal. Which means each loss this season increases the chances that after 14 straight seasons of winning records, LA could be sending a high lottery pick to the reigning champions.

There is no easy way to swallow that. There’s also no easy way out of their current predicament, with two aging superstars trying to rally a roster that is older, slower and overmatched most nights. The team believes its recent improvement on defense will generate more wins in the near future.

But mostly the biggest difference after Paul was sent home is how much quieter things are.

«He’s intense, man,» Collins said. «He’s a leader. Somebody that wants the best for everybody. Somebody that wanted greatness and that’s what he demands.

«It’s definitely a lot quieter without him here.»

It’s quieter in Paul’s world too. Many of his teammates sent messages of support to him afterward. Leonard, in particular, has stayed in close touch. But he hasn’t heard from any of the men who decided to send him away. Not Ballmer or Van Gundy. Not Frank or Lue.

At a Clippers practice last week, Lue was asked why he hadn’t reached out to his former point guard.

Lue responded bluntly. «Yeah, well, he hasn’t called me either.»