Chris Paul’s Next Potential Landing Spots After Being Cut by Los Angeles Clippers

The 40-year-old has stated this will be his final NBA season, but it was cut short after the Clippers ousted him from the team.

Chris Paul #3 of the LA Clippers in action during the first half of the NBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz. on Nov. 6, 2025. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Many NBA fans woke up to stunning news on Wednesday, as the Los Angeles Clippers announced that future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul was being sent home. This isn’t a short-term thing; Paul was informed he won’t be part of the team going forward, even though he hasn’t yet been released.

A release, or trade, seems inevitable after Paul is released for trade on Dec. 15. He is 40 years old and has already stated that this will be his final NBA season, but it’s highly improbable that Paul will simply fade into oblivion. So, here’s a look at where his next landing spot could be.

Los Angeles Lakers

The one Banana Boat Crew member that LeBron James has yet to team up with is Paul, who is the godfather to James’ younger son, Bryce. Also, Paul said before this season that he wanted to play close to his home in Los Angeles, so he wouldn’t even have to move in order to simply go from the Clippers to the Lakers. An added incentive for Paul to join the Lakers is that he’d no longer be the oldest player on the team, as the only NBA player older than him is James.

However, basketball-wise, there may not be a need for Paul considering all of the Lakers’ other ball handlers in James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves. The team also has Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent as reserves, so Paul might pray that his close ties to James and head coach JJ Redick—his former backcourt-mate with the Clippers—outweigh the Lakers’ needs elsewhere.

Houston Rockets

Why not run it back with one of his former teams? The Rockets do have a need at point guard, as Fred VanVleet is out for the year. The team has been using a combo of Alperen Sengun, as point-center, and Amen Thompson, as point-forward, in the meantime.

While, on paper, it would seem like Paul would be highly coveted by Houston, when you see that the Rockets rank in the top four in both offensive rating and points per game, they seem quite fine on that end of the court.

Also, it doesn’t appear that Paul and his former Phoenix Suns teammate, Kevin Durant, have the coziest of relationships these days. The two had a fiery exchange as opponents in a game last year, and afterwards, Durant said of Paul, “You know he likes gimmicks.”

Charlotte Hornets

Of the seven NBA teams Paul has played for, all seven have been in the Western Conference, so he clearly has an affinity for being west of the Mississippi. However, he was born and raised in Lewisville, North Carolina, which is about an hour north of Charlotte. If he thought he was “coming home” by rejoining the Clippers for his final season, he, literally, would be coming home by suiting up for the Hornets.

LaMelo Ball is Charlotte’s point guard, for now, but there is speculation he could be traded, and Ball also has trouble staying on the court due to injuries. Paul would be going from one losing team in the Clippers to another in the Hornets, but at least he’d be able to go out on his own terms in front of a supportive fan base.

TV Broadcaster

No one knows the league as inside-out as Paul, who could seamlessly slide into a media role, whether it be as a color commentator or analyst. He’s known for keeping notes on opponents and players, so he could definitely add insight to broadcasts, and he’s clearly comfortable being on camera.

Sign showing Chris Paul's 2nd all-time NBA assist during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half at Frost Bank Center on Dec. 8, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Ronald Cortes/Getty Images

Paul has been one of the faces of the NBA for much of the last two decades, and few athletes can verbally convey a message as clear and concise as he does, as evidenced by his serving as the NBPA president from 2013 to 2021.

Assistant Coach

An NBA executive poll before this season revealed that Paul was voted the active player who would make the best head coach someday. Paul had 27 percent of the vote, while no one else had more than 17 percent. While the likes of Jason Kidd and Derek Fisher were hired as NBA head coaches mere days after their final NBA games, those hires came during the offseason.

Options are much more limited midseason, but Paul could easily slide over a few spots on a bench and become an assistant coach … yesterday. There is precedent to this, as Lindsey Hunter was waived by the Chicago Bulls during the 2009-10 season, only to then be hired by Chicago as an assistant two days later. While Paul certainly wouldn’t join the Clippers’ coaching staff, many other franchises would love to bring him in.

Two stand out, as one is his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, who are being led by an interim at the moment after firing Willie Green earlier this year. Thus, there’s a vacancy in the coaching ranks for the Pels, and the same goes for the other team, although the circumstances are different. That team is the Portland Trail Blazers, who are using Tiago Splitter as the acting head coach while Chauncey Billups deals with his legal situation from the illegal gambling ring.