The sports world was shocked last week when the Los Angeles Clippers abruptly moved on from Chris Paul, but the star point guard says he is now making the most of an unfortunate situation.
Paul was sent home by the Clippers last Wednesday amid a reported rift with team management and head coach Tyronn Lue. The 40-year-old said the following day that he was “scarred” by what happened but that he would continue to stay ready in case other teams express interest.
In an interview with Jordan Greene of People that was published on Tuesday, Paul said he has been taking advantage of unexpected time with his family.
“Stuff’s been a little crazy in the past few days, to say the least. But honestly, I’m home,” Paul said. “My daughter had tryouts yesterday. My nephew had a basketball game. My son has a game coming up on the 12th. I have never seen my son play a game in person — not a middle school game, not a high school game. So I’m excited about seeing him play.”
Paul was also asked about the message he shared on social media just before the Clippers sent him home. He said he does not have any regrets over the way the situation was handled on his end.
“I don’t regret anything,” he says. “I was in Atlanta with a whole bunch of family. It was my last time gonna be playing there. That’s life. The whole thing took on a life of its own, you know? But I’m excited to be back here with my family.
“I’m actually at peace with everything. More than anything, I’m excited about being around and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”
Paul is still under contract with the Clippers, who have three choices for how to proceed. The team can waive CP3 and pay the remainder of his $3.6 million salary, negotiate a buyout or trade him. A trade would not be able to be completed until Dec. 15.
Paul returned to the Clippers on a one-year deal this past offseason. It appeared the 12-time All-Star was going to finish his career with the franchise that he played for during a large portion of his prime from 2011 to 2017, but the Clippers obviously had no interest in letting him continue his farewell tour.
Paul had played sparingly with the Clippers and was not a significant part of Lue’s rotation. CP3 appeared in 16 games and averaged 2.9 points and 3.3 assists while playing just 14.3 minutes per game.
