Nobody could have ever guessed that the Los Angeles Clippers would cut ties with Chris Paul, arguably the best player in franchise history, days after they held a special video tribute for him in LA. Not only was a decision made by the organization to send Paul home and have him no longer affiliated with the team, but this was done in the middle of the night, in the midst of a cross-country road trip that has the team in Atlanta, Georgia.
Despite the Clippers' struggles, Paul was thought to be a leader behind the scenes who always captivated everyone's attention. His voice and reasoning mattered, which is why announcing his departure from the franchise around 3 a.m. ET the night before the Clippers were set to take on the Atlanta Hawks on the road was … puzzling.
Shortly after this news was announced in the middle of the night, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank made a statement on such a move.
“We are parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be with the team. We will work with him on the next step of his career,” Frank said in the statement to ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly. “Chris is a legendary Clipper who has 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 immediately took on a vocal leadership position upon signing with the Clippers this past summer. He was not shy about holding his teammates, coaches, or management responsible, something that did not sit well with head coach Tyronn Lue, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The coach and veteran guard were not on speaking terms with one another, and this feud apparently grew to the point where Lue refused to meet with Paul to try to smooth things over. Frank personally traveled to Atlanta to deliver the news of the organization sending Paul home.
Entering Wednesday night's matchup against the Hawks, Los Angeles currently finds itself sinking in the Western Conference standings at 5-16 overall. This team has lost five straight games, as well as 14 of its last 16.
Major decisions are now on the horizon for Frank, owner Steve Ballmer, and the Clippers, as parting ways with Paul is just the start of changes to come. This team, which was supposed to be at the top of the West standings competing for a championship, is in dire need of transformation, but there are plenty of factors at play. One thing worth noting is that their 2026 first-round pick is owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder, courtesy of the Paul George trade that continues to somehow look worse and worse.
Paul can't be traded until Dec. 15 after signing with the organization in the summer, and since the team is just $1.2 million from its first apron hard cap, it would be tough financially for Los Angeles to waive the 40-year-old veteran in his final season and replace his roster spot with someone else.
As the Clippers' struggles continue, this decision to remove Paul from the team appears to be the start of what is to come the rest of the season in Los Angeles.
Will Chris Paul's fallout cause Clippers leadership changes?
Ballmer is an owner who is very involved with his organization and expects excellence. That is why he invested so much in a new arena for the Clippers, and it's one of the many reasons why he's always willing to spend extra money in taxes to pursue high-level talent.
It is no secret to anyone that Ballmer isn't happy with his team's 5-16 start to the season, and that became apparent when he recently told Law Murray of The Athletic that it's Tyronn Lue and Lawrence Frank's job to turn things around. Should NBA fans be taking this as a subtle way of Ballmer alerting Lue and Frank that their jobs are on the line this season?
The Clippers are heading down a slippery slope.
This organization doesn't have any real means to improve its roster between now and the trade deadline because of its lack of draft capital, and its first apron hard cap further complicates the franchise's financial standing this season. Not to mention, giving up on Paul further complicates everything.
If the Clippers don't trade Paul, will they simply buy him out of his minimum contract and let him finish his career elsewhere?
Before signing with Los Angeles in the summer, the Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns were three teams that had expressed interest in Paul, league sources told ClutchPoints. Would any of these three organizations still want to add the 40-year-old for the second half of the season and the playoffs?
Of course, then there is always the Los Angeles Lakers, a possibility Bobby Marks of ESPN has recently brought up since Paul's dismissal from the Clippers. The Lakers do have an open roster spot, but for financial reasons, they can't sign a player like Paul until Jan. 19. His relationship with LeBron James and head coach JJ Redick is noteworthy.
The negative relationship Lue and Paul had with one another is notable for several reasons.
Aside from the fact that the Clippers are 11 games below .500 entering Wednesday's game in Atlanta, a direct reflection on Lue, there have been multiple instances through the early portion of the season where players have appeared to be frustrated with the head coach's decisions.
From vague answers in postgame media availability to distraught emotions being visible on the Clippers' bench when Lue makes certain substitutions, the once-strong relationship Lue held with his team appears to have deteriorated to some degree.
Even Harden displayed such emotions in the Clippers' recent 140-123 loss to the Miami Heat, as the All-Star guard was subbed out by Lue early in the third quarter with Los Angeles down 29 points, and he did not play the rest of the game. Harden played a season-low 20 minutes in this game.
Could the relationship between Lue and Harden be breaking down? And what about Lue's standing with the Clippers and Ballmer as a whole?
Very early in the season, ClutchPoints was informed of a meeting Ballmer, Frank, and other high-ranking Clippers officials held regarding Lue and his future. This meeting took place in October, around the time Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier were arrested by the FBI for their illegal gambling activity.
There were obvious concerns from some within the organization regarding Lue's close relationship with Billups and whether he had any involvement in the matter, but no wrongdoing has come forth, and Ballmer has held zero concerns that his head coach has any links to Billups' illegal activity, sources said.
The topic of Kawhi Leonard's involvement with Aspiration and all the league's investigation into the matter was also heavily discussed in the early-season meeting. As one source said, the meeting was essentially an “open discussion” to clear the air on concerns and make sure everyone was “on the same page” as Ballmer.
Since then, there have been no indications that Lue's job security has ever been in jeopardy, and Frank spoke publicly on Wednesday about how Lue will remain the head coach of the team despite their early-season woes.
Already 21 games into the 2025-26 season, the Clippers are in a very fragile position. Many around the league continue to ask key questions about the futures of Frank and Lue, which obviously leads to the status of Leonard and Harden.
Kawhi Leonard, James Harden's immediate futures
There is no reason for the Clippers to give up on everything and tank as if they are a rebuilding franchise, like the Brooklyn Nets or Washington Wizards. As previously mentioned, this team doesn't have any draft assets to tank with, and they've essentially gone all-in with their team centered around Leonard and Harden.
How the Clippers look throughout December and what their record is entering 2026 will paint a better picture as to what will happen with this organization's two stars.
Both Leonard and Harden find themselves on two-year contracts, with Harden owning a player option for the 2026-27 season. Leonard is making $50 million this season compared to Harden's $39.1 million cap hit.
Ballmer and the Clippers have one future goal, and that is to have maximum cap space in 2027 to pursue any superstar talent on the open market. The plan entering the 2025-26 season was for there to be a two-year window with Leonard and Harden, but has that window already closed?
It is certainly wishful thinking to believe the Clippers could magically bounce back with the roster that they have and compete in a loaded Western Conference, which is why the idea of selling high on their stars, diversifying their roster, and recuperating lost assets may be the path Los Angeles is forced down.
This matter could become even more complicated if Harden were to request a trade, which would leave the Clippers with little to no ability to navigate a potential trade for assets they would want.
Harden would surely have potential suitors on the trade market before the Feb. 6 deadline if he were to be made available or asked for a trade, and it wouldn't be crazy to believe he would hold a desire to return to the Houston Rockets.
After all, Harden and Kevin Durant continue to hold a strong relationship with one another, and it was neither of their faults that them teaming up on the Brooklyn Nets with Kyrie Irving didn't work out. Such a scenario is interesting to theorize about, given the Rockets' financial standing and not wanting to trade Fred VanVleet, but it's clear that the Rockets could use a star guard like Harden to make a title push.
Another team worth mentioning as a potential Harden suitor, if we get to that point before the trade deadline, is the Minnesota Timberwolves. As good as Anthony Edwards is, his team is severely lacking talent in the backcourt, and adding an established star like Harden, who would take a ton of pressure off Edwards to do everything as a primary ball handler, would be advantageous for the Wolves.
However, what would a trade with Minnesota even look like since they too don't have much draft capital? Either Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert would need to be on the move to make such a trade work, as well as pieces like Donte DiVincenzo, Rob Dillingham, and/or Terrence Shannon Jr.
As for Kawhi and what his market would potentially look like, any playoff-contending team in dire need of a primary scorer that is all-in on competing for a title this season should have interest in a player like Leonard if he were to become available.
Although his contract is tough to navigate, and his health concerns continue to loom large, Leonard is the type of player who can immediately make a team like the Miami Heat the group to beat in the Eastern Conference. Should Miami be allowed by the NBA to utilize Terry Rozier's expiring contract, they could theoretically package him with Andrew Wiggins and draft picks to pair Leonard with Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Norman Powell.
The only problem with possibly moving Harden or Leonard is that the Clippers, who have no motivation to tank, would be forced to take a step back. At the same time, this team has already regressed to the point where they are equal with tanking organizations around the league, so maybe it is worth cutting their losses and simply trying to regain lost value through the years.
Outside of Leonard and Harden, the other big name the Clippers have is Ivica Zubac, who has already generated plenty of interest from several teams around the league with Los Angeles struggling.
Ivica Zubac headlines Clippers' trade assets
Last season was the best of Zubac's career.
The Clippers' big man averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, both marks being new career highs, while shooting 62.8 percent from the floor in 80 games. Zubac also finished the year with 90 total blocks, resulting in him finishing sixth for the Defensive Player of the Year award and earning All-Defensive Second-Team honors.
Before the 28-year-old cemented himself as one of the best two-way centers in the NBA, Zubac agreed to a three-year, $58.6 million contract extension with the Clippers, which runs through the 2027-28 season with no options or clauses.
This is a very valuable contract, especially for a center like Zubac, who provides value as an elite rebounder and defensive anchor. There have been mixed signals around the league from teams that have contacted the Clippers about Zubac and if they are actually willing to discuss his name in trade talks, but the early indication is that Los Angeles would demand at least two first-round picks, sources said.
Zubac has received the most interest out of any player on the Clippers entering December, as multiple Eastern and Western Conference teams in playoff position have called Frank and Los Angeles to get info on their starting center.
What could the Clippers realistically get in a trade involving Zubac?
It would be very interesting to see if the Boston Celtics would get involved and look to acquire Zubac as their franchise center moving forward. Boston clearly has a hole in their frontcourt to fill, and this team has proven that they can still compete in the Eastern Conference, especially once Jayson Tatum returns from his Achilles injury.
Another key piece of information making the Celtics an interesting trade partner for the Clippers is that they have Anfernee Simons, a young guard Los Angeles has expressed interest in previously while he was with the Portland Trail Blazers, sources said. Simons is in the final year of his contract, and if the Clippers can get a few draft picks from the Celtics for Zubac, that could be an intriguing scenario for them to discuss.
Perhaps Zubac would be included in a larger deal that also sees either Harden or Leonard moved. All of this is a major unknown right now, as there is no telling whether the Clippers will look to immediately buy once a majority of the league becomes trade eligible on Dec. 15 or if the organization will sell assets to recover lost draft picks and young talent through the years.
One thing that is known at this time is that the Clippers are actively shopping John Collins, league sources said. The Clippers acquired Collins in their three-team deal with the Heat and Utah Jazz, which sent Norman Powell to Miami, a trade that now looks like one Los Angeles wishes it never made.
Collins is making $26.5 million this season in the final year of his contract, giving the Clippers a major buffer to utilize financially should they seek to make an immediate roster upgrade.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is making $16 million this season and owns a $16 million team option for the 2026-27 season, and Derrick Jones Jr., at $10 million this year and $10.4 million next year, create more financial diversity for LA.
Whatever the Clippers ultimately decide to do, they continue to signal that maintaining max cap flexibility in 2027 is their top priority and that they won't take on contracts past the 2026-27 season.
All options appear to be on the table for Frank and LA right now, as Ballmer continues to put pressure on him and Lue to win games. The situation with Paul has only made the Clippers' struggles louder, and this organization appears to be on the verge of making more decisions that will impact their immediate future.
