Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue breaks silence on releasing Chris Paul
The Los Angeles Clippers have already made headlines this calendar year, and with the 2025 calendar year coming to an end, they made a shocking move to part ways and release franchise legend Chris Paul the night before their Wednesday game against the Atlanta Hawks. An icon for the Clippers during the Lob City era, the franchise legend has a rough exit.
Paul was coming off a 2024-25 season with the San Antonio Spurs, where he started in all 82 games for the team, something he had only done once before in his career. It was made known that Paul's role would decrease upon joining the Clippers, but after receiving a handful of DNPs, the decision to release him doesn't seem as surprising.
Ty Lue Addresses The Situation
Clippers' President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank spoke early on Wednesday about the situation, sending a report to multiple outlets at the time of the news break and speaking in a media availability as well. However, it wasn't until later in the day that Ty Lue spoke about the situation.
"I just think it wasn’t a good fit for what he was looking for. It is what it is. Do I want to see CP go out like this? No. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a friend of mine over the years. You never wanna see a great go out like this. But I’m pretty sure he will find something, because he’s a great player. He’s a — you know. I didn’t wanna see it end like this," Lue shared.
The Clippers have seemed to keep matters close to their chest, especially with all the other outside noise that stemmed from their ongoing investigation with the NBA. Therefore, it appears as though there is more about the Paul situation that isn't being told.
What Have Reports Indicated?
ESPN's Shams Charania reported that "Paul has been vocal in holding management, coaches and players accountable, which the team felt became disruptive," adding that Paul was not on speaking terms with Lue over the last few weeks.
As for another angle, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Paul was denied a meeting with Lue to discuss "allegations of being a negative presence on [the] team." With the meeting being denied, it eventually led to Frank delivering the news to Paul.
The Clippers will be down to 13 standard contracts with Paul off the team, so they'll have to make a decision on what they do with that 14th roster spot. But for now, the Clippers can put this in the past faster if they can start adding some wins to their record.