Vocal Chris Paul Reportedly Was Not Speaking With Coach Tyronn Lue, Leadership Styles Clashed

The LA Clippers knew exactly what they were getting when they signed Chris Paul last offseason: A very vocal leader in the locker room who will hold everyone accountable and call anyone out. It's why San Antonio wanted him around Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle a season ago, to teach them, but get in their face at points. The Clippers also knew Paul's leadership style could annoy coaches and teammates. The Clippers organization had been down this road before, during the Lob City era, when Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan grew weary of CP3's constant criticism, and it created some friction.

This time, on a struggling 5-16 team with a lot of issues, Paul's vocal criticism of everyone — including coach Tyronn Lue and management — just wore too thin, which is why the Clippers have parted ways with the future Hall of Fame point guard in an awkward late-night breakup on the road. Paul and Lue were not speaking to one another, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes.

ESPN's Shams Charania added these details.

There are a lot of things to criticize with the Clippers. This was a team fueled to 50 wins a season ago based on a top-three defense in the league, but this season it's 26th, with the second-worst transition defense in the league (which pairs very poorly with the third-highest turnover percentage in the league). The Clippers run the highest percentage of isolation plays in the NBA, and with that and the picks for Harden, their offense is very predictable. Injuries have been an issue, but the bet by the front office on the combo of Bradley Beal and John Collins to replace Norman Powell was a huge miss (to be fair, keeping Powell on a new contract would have messed with their plans to keep their books clean in the summer of 2027). Put simply, the Clippers are old and slow, and that's a bad combo in an increasingly up-tempo NBA.

Paul was likely talking about all of it, but this is a veteran roster that was not going to be receptive. In a locker room with concerning vibes and guys openly discussing the team's lack of energy, CP3's leadership style likely didn't play well.

That said, the Clippers can't just waive him — they have 14 guys on the roster, to waive him would mean replacing him, and they are so close to their first apron hard cap they can't sign even a veteran minimum player until January. The Clippers are going to keep Paul on the roster and look for a trade (something Paul's agents will be involved with) to a place where he can have the farewell tour the future Hall of Famer deserves. For now, he's home with the family and waiting on next steps.