Clippers Send Chris Paul Home In The Middle Of The Night In Bizarre Move, Social Media Reacts Accordingly
CP3 sent home at 3 AM.
Being sent home in the middle of a road trip in early December probably wasn't part of the plan when Chris Paul decided to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers for his retirement tour this season, but here we are.
While the vast majority of the country was asleep, the Clippers announced at 3 AM ET that Paul was no longer a member of the team. Shortly thereafter, Paul shared a message on his Instagram story that read, "Just Found Out I'm Being Sent Home."
The Clippers were not in action on Tuesday night, but were in Atlanta ahead of their matchup against the Hawks on Wednesday in what will be game two of a five-game road trip.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank texted a statement to ESPN confirming Paul's departure, while not hiding from the fact that the veteran point guard has underperformed this season.
"We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team," Frank said. "We will work with him on the next step of his career.
"Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we've struggled. We're grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise."
Paul signed a one-year contract to join the Clippers during the offseason. What was meant to be a ceremonial and celebratory final campaign, with the 40-year-old spending the prime years of his career with the franchise, has officially turned weird, and frankly, ugly.
The Clippers are an abysmal 5-16 on the year, and with Paul averaging just 2.9 points per game, the sky is essentially falling in Los Angeles.