As signing free agents is a two-way street, given that both sides of the party have to agree on an appropriate figure, the LA Clippers’ front office could be practicing patience with Chris Paul, explaining why the announcement of his destination is taking longer than expected.
The Clippers surely want him on their bench, but his other needs, like a starting spot next to James Harden, are out of reach. The front office, and most importantly, Tyronn Lue, understand they need Bradley Beal as the primary two-guard, which could be an area of disagreement between LA and Paul.
Additionally, anything more than the veteran minimum will not work financially, because the Clippers’ mid-level exception would have been spent. Thus, Paul may not be willing to make these sacrifices in his final professional season, leaving fans to believe the Clippers have another plan for their point guard desires.
This hole could be filled by none other than Damian Lillard, after his era with the Milwaukee Bucks reached an unanticipated ending point. No one thought the Bucks, who seemed to have been walking on a tightrope with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future, would waive the superstar guard, but they did to attain center Myles Turner, someone whom the Indiana Pacers were firm on bringing back.
That said, the timeline on Lillard’s offseason makes perfect sense, adding to why Paul has not agreed to a deal with the Clippers.
The hunt for Damian Lillard could be halting the LA Clippers from signing Chris Paul for one more season
Chris Paul was already supposed to be an LA Clipper, well before the start of the summer league, yet the hold-up is causing fans to ponder what could be going on. Is Paul unsure of which team has the most to offer? Or are the Clippers prioritizing him second to Damian Lillard?
Recently, Lillard officially became an unrestricted free agent. This would explain the Clippers’ wait, as they may have been considering the disadvantages to signing him for two seasons, with one automatically excused to recover.
The story of landing Paul and possibly winning a championship would be legendary, but Lillard is certainly the guy to pursue, even with a wait time. He is arguably the second-greatest three-point shooting point guard of all time, and he remains an All-Star, averaging nearly 25 points in over 36 minutes per game(2024-25).
Adding Lillard amid the hype around Paul would be a plot twist that most fans would accept, though it would mean the Clippers legend would not be able to finish his career in an ideal fashion.