The Los Angeles Clippers are banking on experience and a championship pedigree to break through finally. After years of playoff disappointment, they’ve added a familiar face in Chris Paul, who knows exactly what it takes to elevate a team when it matters most.
The 20-year NBA veteran signed a one-year, $3.6 million deal to play his 21st season in Los Angeles. The 12-time All-Star had some of the best years of his career with the Clippers, playing with “Lob City” from 2011 to 2017. Although the core of Paul, power forward Blake Griffin, center DeAndre Jordan and guard J.J. Redick never made it to the NBA Finals, they were among the most fun and aesthetically pleasing teams to watch.
Paul has only made it to the NBA Finals once, helping the Phoenix Suns win the Western Conference in 2021 before losing a very competitive and exciting Finals series to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. The veteran has been part of a number of teams in the NBA over all these years, and a new stat shows that wherever he has gone, he has made the team better.
What Makes Chris Paul’s Career Journey So Unique?
Paul was initially selected by the then-New Orleans Hornets as the fourth overall pick. He remained there until he was dealt to the Clippers in 2011. This was, of course, after Paul was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the league, which temporarily owned the Hornets at the time, voided the deal, causing a stir of controversy that is still a touchy subject for some Lakers fans.
In 2017, Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets won 65 games in his first season with the club, but he was still dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal that sent Russell Westbrook back to the Rockets, re-joining his former Thunder teammate, James Harden.
Paul was dealt from the Thunder to the Suns in 2020, where he helped them reach the finals. Paul was traded again and spent the 2023-24 season with the Golden State Warriors before signing with the Spurs in 2024. Paul has been a star since day one, winning Rookie of the Year in 2006.
Paul is second all-time in assists with 12,499 (John Stockton finished his career with 15,806) and second all-time in steals with 2,717 (also second to Stockton, who had 3,265). Most importantly, numbers support his positive impact on each team.
Pretty much every time Chris Paul goes to a new team, they get better pic.twitter.com/S7nBLz8W3C
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) July 21, 2025
You can see that the net rating of every team Paul joins has improved, aside from when he joined the Thunder. However, as the graph points out, they dealt Westbrook for Paul and also traded star Paul George to the Clippers in that same offseason. No wonder Clippers President Lawrence Frank praised Paul even before he joined the team.
“What I’d say about Chris is he’s a great player, he’s a great Clipper,” Frank said. “He obviously possesses some of the qualities we just referenced. Of course, we’re strongly, strongly considering him.”
The Clippers have already had an interesting offseason, adding Brook Lopez and signing guard Bradley Beal. They also dealt Norman Powell to the Miami Heat while the Utah Jazz sent big man John Collins to the Clippers and the Heat sent Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a future draft pick to the Jazz. They’re hoping those additions, alongside a healthy Kawhi Leonard and a re-signed Harden , can put them over the top.
Paul’s leadership and veteran presence can only help a Clippers team that is looking to contend, and we could see the addition of Paul once again take a team to another level.
