In an unexpected fallout, the Los Angeles Clippers parted ways with veteran point guard Chris Paul amid reports of escalating tensions with assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy and head coach Tyronn Lue.
The rift reportedly ignited during the Clippers’ November 29 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. With Kawhi Leonard fatigued in the fourth quarter, Paul suggested switching him off a scorching Klay Thompson.
The adjustment was made, but the next day, aboard the team plane, Van Gundy confronted Paul, reports ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
Chris Haynes on Chris Paul's leeway post on IG:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 6, 2025
"I was told that Jeff Van Gundy told Chris Paul listen you might have had leeway in other places to be able to change up defensive coverages but you don't have that leeway here" 😬 pic.twitter.com/RVk9BqLP9J
“Jeff Van Gundy called a meeting on the plane with Chris Paul and asked him if he changed the defensive assignment,” Haynes said. “Chris said, ‘No, I didn’t change the assignment. I just suggested we might want someone else on Klay because Kawhi wasn’t warm yet.'”
Van Gundy allegedly snapped back.
“You might have had leeway in other places to change defensive coverages, but you don’t have that leeway here,” Haynes recounted of the message Van Gundy sent to Paul.
This marked one of several verbal dust-ups between the two, as Paul’s veteran input clashed with the coaching staff’s rigid structure.
Paul, a 12-time All-Star who returned to the Clippers on a one-year, $3.63 million deal, hoping for a storybook finale, had been relegated to the bench, averaging just 14.3 minutes across 16 games.
Frustrated, he sought a meeting with Lue to address whispers of him being a “negative presence,” but was rebuffed. Clippers president Lawrence Frank flew to Atlanta on December 3 to deliver the news, leaving Paul blindsided.
“We are parting ways with Chris,” Frank stated. “No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance.”
Paul’s cryptic Instagram post about “leeway” — interpreted as a jab at Van Gundy — fueled speculation before the split.
