Chris Paul, now a free agent, has reached an agreement with the LA Clippers, as reported by CAA’s Steven Heumann, Ty Sullivan, and Jessica Holtz to ESPN.
At 40 years old, Paul had several teams interested in him, including the Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, and Dallas Mavericks, but he opted for the contending Clippers, valuing their shared history in Los Angeles.
In June, Paul shared on “The Pat McAfee Show” his intention to play his 21st season close to his family, who reside in Los Angeles.
He joins a list of veteran signings by the Clippers, who have also added shooting guard Bradley Beal, power forward John Collins, and center Brook Lopez during this offseason. The Clippers were looking for a backup point guard and had discussions with Malcolm Brogdon, but ultimately chose Paul in the past week.
Additionally, they have achieved salary cap flexibility, allowing them to be strategic in pursuing star players over the next two summers. This return marks a second stint with the Clippers for Paul, who played with the team for six seasons from 2011-12 to 2016-17, being named an All-Star five times during that period.
He also made five All-NBA teams, earning the highest number of selections in Clippers history, and he holds the franchise record for assists with 4,023. Last season, Paul was with the San Antonio Spurs and participated in all 82 games, making history as the first player to complete a full season after 20 years in the league.
Paul was drafted fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005 and earned Rookie of the Year honors that same year, amassing career totals of 12,499 assists and 2,717 steals, which rank second all-time in both categories.
