When Chris Paul joined the Los Angeles Clippers last year, there was a genuine sense of happiness around the league. The veteran point guard had finally gotten what he wanted, as he wanted a chance to play in Los Angeles, closer to his family.
For a player who had given nearly two decades to the NBA, the move felt right. However, what followed was something no one saw coming.
Chris Paul’s Future Is Still Uncertain
The Clippers waived Paul in early December. Soon after, Paul publicly announced that he planned to retire after the current season. This signaled that his legendary career was nearing its end.
Before the February 5 trade deadline, news broke that Paul had been acquired by the Toronto Raptors in a multi-team deal that also involved the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The move immediately raised eyebrows across the league, and many wondered whether Paul would actually suit up for Toronto.
Not long after the trade report surfaced, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the Raptors were not requiring Paul to report to the team. At the time, the belief was that Toronto could flip him in another deal before the deadline.
“The Raptors will not require Chris Paul to report to the team and could still discuss trades involving him over the next day. Toronto is now out of the tax. Brooklyn picks up an asset and cash to cover Agbaji’s salary. The Clippers clear a roster spot and save $7 million in tax,” Charania wrote on his X.
However, that second trade never happened. The deadline passed, and Paul remained technically on Toronto’s books.
Now, in a recent interview, Raptors General Manager Bobby Webster has finally addressed the elephant in the room. Webster revealed that Paul’s future with the organization is still very much up in the air.
“We spoke to his agent yesterday. I don’t know what he’s going to do. Chris Paul’s probably one of my favourite players ever, and so, that’s a weird thing to trade for him, and then, you know. He’s at this point in his career, so I said, ‘whatever.’ We want to be the most professional, and so we’ll waive him here at the appropriate time,” Webster said in the recent interview.
Paul joined the NBA after being selected 4th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans). He has been one of the league’s premier point guards for nearly two decades.
His numbers this season, before the Clippers waived him, weren’t eye-popping: he averaged 2.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in just 14.3 minutes per game. But that doesn’t erase everything he’s accomplished.
What ultimately happens with Paul remains to be seen.
