Clippers send CP3 home, say he's not on team

ATLANTA — In a stunning overnight move, the LA Clippers announced that Chris Paul is no longer on the team.

Paul, one of the greatest players in Clippers franchise history, posted an Instagram story a little before 3 a.m. ET Wednesday that he had just learned he was being sent home to Los Angeles from Atlanta, where the Clippers play the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Shortly afterward, Lawrence Frank texted a statement to ESPN confirming that Paul is no longer on the team.

“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team,” Frank said. “We will work with him on the next step of his career.

“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.”

To move on from Paul, the Clippers would have to waive him and pay out his $3.6 million salary, agree to a buyout or look to trade him, which they couldn’t execute until Dec. 15.

The Clippers have lost 14 of their past 16 games, including five straight, and have a 5-16 record. They lost Bradley Beal, one of their biggest offseason signings, to a season-ending hip injury in early November.

Paul had rejoined the Clippers in late July on a one-year deal. For Paul, 40, this was a chance to return home and finish his career with the franchise that he spent six seasons with from 2011 to 2017. Sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania last month that Paul is retiring at the end of this season, his 21st year in the NBA.

Paul is the Clippers’ franchise leader in total assists and steals per game. After he started 1,314 of 1,354 career games, including all 82 games last season for the San Antonio Spurs, Paul’s role was to come off the bench with the Clippers, understanding he may not play every night.

He had played in 16 games, averaging 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes. He played 15 minutes and had eight points and three assists in his final game with the Clippers during Monday’s 140-123 loss in Miami.

This is the second time the Clippers have had a difficult and abrupt ending with one of their all-time star players from the Lob City era. In July 2017, Blake Griffin signed a five-year, $171 million deal with the Clippers but was traded to the Detroit Pistons in January 2018 when the team decided to go in a different direction.