Nearly two weeks after the Los Angeles Clippers announced Chris Paul would no longer be a member of the team, new details have been leaked about the fractured relationship between the franchise and future Hall of Famer.
Chris Paul Raised Concerns About Clippers’ Culture
Per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Paul first “raised concerns about the team’s culture” to Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank during a discussion the morning after a Nov. 6 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Among the things that Paul addressed in that meeting was a “lack of conversation in the group text chat and the lack of time the players spent together off the court,” according to Shelburne.
Shelburne noted Frank responded to Paul’s criticism, stating that his “style wasn’t in line with what they needed it to be—that his leadership was being perceived as subversive rather than helpful.”
According to Shelburne, that same day also marked the last “substantive conversation” between Paul and head coach Ty Lue before the Clippers sent him home on Dec. 2.
During the phone call, Paul asked Lue why he was benched for the entire second half against the Suns, and the conversation included a suggestion to have “a meeting among team leaders and holding more practices on off days.”
Per Shelburne, Lue felt Paul was “coming across as too critical of players and coaches.”
Later that same day, Lue told Paul he would not be in the rotation for their next game.
Paul’s Flight Discussion Was Leaked
Amid a streak of five consecutive DNP-CDs from Nov. 8-16, Paul and Clippers lead assistant Jeff Van Gundy didn’t speak to each other for a long time until Paul “snarkily” broke the silence by asking “if he wasn’t talking to him.”
Shelburne added in her report that Paul apologized to Clippers teammates on Nov. 11 for potentially coming off as “too negative or divisive” to team personnel.
The apology came after a second meeting with Frank, who issued a “final warning” about being a divisive figure, and a separate conversation with Van Gundy.
Paul became “upset” during a Nov. 29 loss to the Dallas Mavericks after Paul “openly questioned” the coaching staff’s use of Kawhi Leonard’s limited minutes.
Per Shelburne, Paul then asked Leonard and Kris Dunn on the Clippers’ flight home afterward if he “suggested a change or actually changed” the defensive assignment.
Both players “affirmed” it was only a suggestion, but that interaction made its way back to the coaching staff and front office. It was then decided that Paul’s second stint with L.A. would be cut short.
Paul signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Clippers ahead of his 21st NBA season. The 12-time All-Star guard remains under contract with the team, but Monday marked the first day he was eligible to be traded.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5.
