On Tuesday, NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote that there might not be a player "with a greater likelihood of getting moved next Monday than Clippers guard Chris Paul." Monday is Dec. 15, the unofficial start of trade season. Since Paul signed with the Los Angeles Clippers during the offseason, he and other players in a similar situation will become trade-eligible then.
As Fischer laid out, the Clippers' best route to getting rid of Paul (after they sent him home last week) is a trade. He reported that LA does "want to work" with Paul (subscription required) on a trade, helping him find a new home, no matter how abruptly things ended. It will come down to what Paul wants, as he wanted to be in Los Angeles with his family after spending years apart from them.
Depending on what the 40-year-old desires, as in if he wants to keep playing, he could be the first domino to fall in the trade season. Just because a player becomes eligible to be traded on Dec. 15 doesn't mean, of course, that they'll be traded as soon as the day hits, but given Paul's case, he could be.
Clippers could trade Chris Paul next week
Fischer said the Bucks, Knicks, Mavericks, and Suns were interested in Paul over the summer, but that doesn't mean they'll be interested now. Milwaukee could be, though, as the Bucks should be willing to do anything to try to turn their season around. Paul isn't the player he once was, but he did start all 82 games for the Spurs last season.
One would assume that Paul would want to go somewhere where he could contribute right away, which is what he wanted with the Clippers, but he averaged only 14.3 minutes across 16 games. He might've thought he'd have a chance to win his first-ever championship in LA, but the Clippers quickly proved that to be untrue.
Paul announced that the 2025-26 season would be his last a couple of weeks ago, before Los Angeles' game in Charlotte, his home state. Assuming that will still be the case if he does want to be traded, it may mean that Paul is more willing to go to a team that isn't necessarily close to LA, as the only thing standing between him and the time he wants with his family will be the second half of the season.
The Clippers never should've let Paul's time with the team end the way that it did, especially on a road trip. The least they can do is help him go to a team he wants to play for. The sooner it happens, the better.