Free agent point guard Chris Paul has agreed to a deal with the LA Clippers for his expected final, 21st NBA season, CAA’s Steven Heumann, Ty Sullivan and Jessica Holtz told ESPN.
Paul, 40, had multiple suitors such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks, but the 12-time All-Star chose the contending Clippers and their shared history in Los Angeles. Paul told “The Pat McAfee Show” in June that he was determined to play his 21st season near his family, who live in Los Angeles.
He becomes the latest veteran addition to the Clippers, who also have added shooting guard Bradley Beal, power forward John Collins and center Brook Lopez this offseason. The Clippers were searching for a reserve point guard in the marketplace — having conversations with Malcolm Brogdon as well — but landed on Paul over the last seven days. They also have created salary cap flexibility so they can be opportunistic in the next two summers to potentially go after stars.
This marks a return to the Clippers for Paul, who played for the franchise for six seasons (2011-12 to 2016-17), during which he was a five-time All-Star. He was also selected to five All-NBA teams, the most such selections in Clippers franchise history. And he had 4,023 assists with the Clippers, the most in franchise history.
He spent last season with the San Antonio Spurs and played all 82 games, becoming the first player to play 82 games in a season in his 20th season or later.
Paul, who was selected fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005 and was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year that season, has 12,499 assists and 2,717 steals in his career — second all-time in both categories.
ESPN Research contributed to this report.
