Chris Paul will be playing for the Los Angeles Clippers next season as the two sides reunite after eight years apart for what will be his 21st NBA season. All the nostalgia that comes with Paul returning to the Clippers is warranted, but this is an entirely different situation he’s walking into with this Clippers team.
The last time Paul suited up for the Clippers, they were still sharing an arena with the Los Angeles Lakers. There’s also the fact that Paul won’t be the franchise centerpiece he once was, though he hasn’t been that since he left L.A. in 2017. Paul’s stepping into a situation centered around Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, and will have to embrace a bench role for just the second time in his Hall of Fame career.
But lineups, rotations and expectations weren’t the main topics of conversation on Monday when the 40-year-old Paul was re-introduced as a member of the Clippers. Instead, the overarching theme was about how excited Paul is to be back home playing for the franchise where he spent most of his career.
It was a decision Paul said wasn’t difficult at all.
“It was a no brainer,” Paul said. “I actually did an interview before this, and I was talking about how when you’re in this lifestyle or world for a while, it’s a lot of people who would try to tell your story for you. I was actually on vacation with my family, and you see all the stories, people saying, ‘He’ll only go here if he’s starting or if he’s doing this.’ I think for me, the gratitude that I have for being able to play as long as I’ve had, I think the easiest decision in this is sitting right up here, my family. It’s getting a chance to be around them and be around a lot more, and get a chance to compete and play for a championship.”
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Paul sidestepped a question about potential retirement following next season, as he’s primarily thinking about the excitement of being around his family full-time right now. Across stops with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and, most recently, the San Antonio Spurs, Paul has lived apart from his family. That won’t be the case anymore.
When he became a free agent following his season in San Antonio, Paul made it clear that his top priority was playing as close to his home base of L.A. as possible. With that in mind, it seems as though his landing spot was always going to be the Clippers as nothing compares to being able to drive back to your family after a home game. It’s something he’ll be able to do for the first time in six years.
“If I’m really honest, I wanted to get back and play here by any means necessary,” Paul said. “I didn’t even care what the team looked like. I just wanted to be home, be here with the Clippers. I’m just so excited about the moves that the team has made this offseason, [Bradley Beal] coming to the team, Brook Lopez, all the young guys. I talked to James [Harden], I talked to Kawhi [Leonard]. I’m even more excited about what I think we have a chance to do.”
How does Chris Paul fit with the Clippers?
The Clippers certainly reloaded this offseason, adding Beal, Lopez, Paul and John Collins to the roster. It may feel like a roster that would have flourished in the 2010s, but that level of depth could be L.A.’s secret weapon in a tough Western Conference. But depth has never really been the main problem limiting the Clippers from winning a championship. It’s been health, and if Leonard isn’t healthy, this team doesn’t go very far.
Aside from health, something else the Clippers will have to navigate is all of the new personalities in the locker room now. While Paul may not be in his prime, he’s always been known as a vocal leader in every locker room he steps in. He’s a fierce competitor that sometimes may not resonate with everyone, and he’s previously had heated interactions with Harden that have made the rounds on social media before.
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When Paul’s signing with the Clippers was announced, one specific interaction between he and Harden resurfaced from their playing days in Houston. Paul tried to give Harden a fist bump, only for the former Rockets star to slap his hand away. The two then continued in what seemed to be an argument about something that just happened in the game.
On Monday, Paul addressed that specific video, and chalked it up to both of them just being competitors.
“We talked about the history of being in Houston, and it’s funny because that clip that goes around, there was a lot of stuff funnier than that, but that was just our relationship,” Paul said. “I think that’s what made that team so good. We got on each other in different situations, but that team, I can honestly say was one of the funnest I’ve ever been on in my career. And James is one of those guys that loves to be in the gym all day long. So it’s wild that you get this opportunity again after those two years and the success that we had. We definitely know we had unfinished business, so we get a chance to see what’s going on here.”
The Clippers, coming off a 50-32 record and a seven-game first-round exit to the Denver Nuggets, will certainly be one of the most intriguing teams in the West next season. Adding Paul to the rotation is only part of the reason why. Despite the injury concerns and an aging roster, this Clippers team — if fully healthy — could challenge the defending champion Thunder in the West. They currently have +1800 odds to win the title next season at FanDuel, the sixth-best odds in the West.
A lot has to go right between now and then for that to happen, but Paul seems to think this is a team capable of making a championship run next season.
