Clippers released Chris Paul at 2am; not his idea but doesn't seem acrimonious.

[Proctor]

Lue is a good coach but I'm sick of the Clippers "swinging for the fences" and bringing in veteran guys like CP0 and Lopez just to not even play them and let them rot on the bench when they could be helping a contender. He's been doing this his entire coaching career with LA. PJ Tucker was another one.

Lopez specifically has a lot left in the tank.

[Xiao Yao You]

Paul called out fellow Clippers players, coaches and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank during his current stint with the team, a league source told The Times. The person added that Paul apologized, but “everyone was fed up.”

Los Angeles Times

Sounds like he may be done. What team wants this?

[Real Men Wear Green]

That remains to be seen. I don't think he's worth trading anyone for from the Celtics, for example, but if the Clippers but him out a team that wants another guard could still give him a chance. I doubt the Clippers were the only team interested.

[Xiao Yao You]

It is unlikely Paul will sign with another team, a league source told The Times, because of his powerful voice in the locker room, which can be difficult for teams to deal with, and his age. “He’s not the player he used to be,” a league source said when asked about Paul’s options after the Clippers’ decision.

[beasted]

If Lue doesn't coach James or play with Shaq and Kobe he's won nothing. Conversely if Paul was OK with playing for less money to win he could have been James or Durant's point guard when he was younger and would have had a great spot at a championship. Winning a ring doesn't magically change what a guy really knows about the game. Paul knows what does and does not work on the court. Lue no doubt also understands the game but as a vet coach and ex-player he should have known what kind of guy Paul is. Does not matter what he gets paid or if he gets to play, anywhere Paul goes he's going to be a vocal leader. Lue got sick of hearing it from him and told him to go away, fine, they can do that, but we all know what kind of guy Paul is.

My contention is Paul doesn't know anything because he's lost with the better team multiple times, and been part of epic chokes.

[Nowoco]

The idea that Chris Paul is a great leader or even a great guy might be the biggest myth in NBA history.

[Proctor]

Someone will take him. Wolves?

[Xiao Yao You]

Someone will take him. Wolves?

Already have conley

[bdonovan]

That's believable. And potentially makes Lue look bad.

"Holding people accountable" is subjective; given Paul's reputation, this could well mean offering idle criticism of everyone else on the team, but himself.

CP3 probably had flashbacks in the Clippers locker room of when he led the team. Sounds like he never processed that he wasn't the team leader anymore.

Roles matter. If you're a bench player and shooting 32% FG, tread more carefully on attacking everyone else.

How you level the criticism is crucial. Whether its constructive or counter-productive. We don't know the details but clearly the Clippers felt it was the latter.

[Proctor]

Already have conley

I love Conley but

[ImKobe]

Woke up to a stunner.

A few questions:

1. Is Paul done? I can't see him as a full time starter any more but he could still be a good back up point guard with a lot of rest, right? Would the Lakers have no interest? Maybe the Thunder to try and get a ring?

2. Do multiple teams retire his jersey? I am assuming there's no bad blood with the Clippers, so that should be one team, especially as the Clipper standard should not be that high. He didn't have a long tenure with Phoenix but he helped them get to the Finals so could they maybe do it? And last candidate, do the Hornets honor him for things he did for them in other cities? Almost feels like it should be the Thunder or Pelicans.

Good back-up PG? Have you seen him this year by chance? He's finished as a player. Last thing the Lakers need is another guard/playmaker who can't defend all that well. His shot has been gone for years too. He ain't helping anyone good. Should just go into coaching.

Pelicans, Clippers and Suns should retire his jersey.

[Xiao Yao You]

I love Conley but

They need paul and conley?

[Phoenix]

The more I think about it, if there was a chance for OKC I don't think they're gonna risk upsetting what AFAIK is a perfectly harmonious unit. The team is already deep so I don't see much room for him to do anything but be at the end of their bench, but with a demeanor of his 19/11 all-NBA heyday he simply doesn't have the leverage to ruffle feathers anymore despite his historical stature. So I dont know what the market is for him now. Maybe the Lakers where you've already got an elder statesmen in Lebron so he can't overpower the locker room?

[Xiao Yao You]

NBA Courtside: Carmelo Anthony says what happened to CP3 is about to happen to Russ, Demar, and AD “It’s about to happen to Russ, Demar DeRozan, and AD. The next trade AD has, it’s downhill from there. The way the legends of our game gets treated is f*cked up”

x.com

[Real Men Wear Green]

Davis might get sent home while a trade is worked out just to make sure he doesn't get hurt but even out of shape he had star stats. If Paul could still produce he wouldn't have been dealt with like this.