Another veteran point guard is headed home.
Days after Damian Lillard rejoined the Portland Trail Blazers, Chris Paul reportedly is signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the deal Monday. Charania and others added that Paul’s upcoming 21st season will likely be his final before retiring from the NBA.
The 12-time All-Star had some of his best years with the Clippers from 2011-17 — five All-Star selections, five All-NBA nods and six First-Team All-Defense honors. The “Lob City” Clippers turned the once-lowly franchise around as Paul and Blake Griffin led the team to the second round three times.
Paul, who turned 40 in May, is coming off a productive 2024-25 season with the San Antonio Spurs. Paul started all 82 games for the Spurs, averaging 8.8 points and 7.4 assists for the young squad.
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Over his first 20 seasons, Paul has piled up the accolades to become a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s played for the New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23), Golden State Warriors (2023-24) and Spurs (2024-25), with career averages of 17.0 points, 9.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
Paul, a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, has led the league in assists five times and steals six times. The only thing eluding him is a title, with his closest call coming in 2021 when the Suns lost in the NBA Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the Clippers, Paul will likely move to a bench role for a team with legitimate playoff aspirations. Los Angeles added Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez and John Collins this offseason to a team that already has James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac.
