By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer
Chris Paul says the Los Angeles Clippers are sending him home from their road trip, putting a shocking twist on what is expected to be the veteran point guard’s final NBA season.
“Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home,” Paul posted on social media at around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, adding a peace emoji.
The struggling Clippers are in Atlanta for a road game against the Hawks on Wednesday night. Los Angeles lost at Miami on Monday night to fall to 5-16 in a wildly disappointing start to the season.
The 40-year-old Paul is playing his 21st NBA season, and he strongly hinted last month that it will be his last. The 12-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist has earned four All-NBA first team selections, and he ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists. He was the first player to score at least 20,000 points while recording at least 10,000 assists.
He became arguably the most accomplished player in Clippers franchise history while leading the team to six winning seasons from 2011-17, including the Clippers’ first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. Paul returned to Los Angeles as a free agent last July, rejoining a franchise where he is loved by fans while having an outside chance to contend for his first championship alongside Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ top basketball executive, issued a statement confirming Paul’s departure to several media outlets early Wednesday. He indicated the Clippers will attempt to trade Paul, who signed a $3.6 million deal to return to LA.
“We are parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be a part of 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.”
Paul hasn’t spoken to reporters since he strongly hinted at retirement while the Clippers were back in his native North Carolina. But he acknowledged a video retrospective of his career played by the Clippers during a timeout at Intuit Dome last week. The video ended with “Congratulations, Point God” on the screen.
Paul couldn’t really be blamed for the Clippers’ profound struggles this season because he hasn’t played much.
He is averaging 2.6 points and 3.3 assists while playing just 14.3 minutes per game — all career lows — and he didn’t play at all in five straight games in mid-November. Paul had eight points and three assists while playing 15 minutes against the Heat in what turned out to be his final game with the team — a game in which Harden and other starters were effectively benched, in the latest sign of discord for coach Tyronn Lue’s team.
The Clippers are on a five-game skid, and they’re tied with Sacramento for the second-worst record in the Western Conference heading into Wednesday’s games. Leonard has been limited to 10 games by injuries, and they’ve already lost guard Bradley Beal to season-ending hip surgery.
The Clippers’ streak of 14 consecutive winning seasons is the longest active streak in the NBA, but owner Steve Ballmer’s club has yet to show signs of contention this season — and now they’re going forward without a historically talented point guard and franchise favorite.
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