NBA Rumors: Clippers 'Evaluating' Chris Paul Trade and Still Want Russell Westbrook
The Los Angeles Clippers are "indeed interested in pursuing" Chris Paul, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, after the veteran point guard was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Washington Wizards alongside Landry Shamet and draft considerations for Bradley Beal.
Per that report, "the Clippers are evaluating what it would take to acquire Paul, who must first decide if he is open to staying in Washington."
TNT and B/R's Chris Haynes first reported Sunday that the Clippers were interested in a reunion with Paul:
The 38-year-old spent six seasons on the Lob City Clippers with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, averaging 18.8 points, 9.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game during that stint. He led the Clippers to the playoffs in each of those seasons.
The modern Clippers, meanwhile, have routinely lacked a playmaking point guard during the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George era. While they briefly addressed it with Russell Westbrook last season—Murray noted that the Clippers "would not be shutting the door on Westbrook even if they could acquire Paul"—it's generally been a need.
And while Paul has struggled with injuries later in his career, he's hardly been ineffective, averaging 13.9 points and 8.9 assists per game last year with the Suns.
There might be a few rough patches to address, however.
While George and Westbrook have played together on more than one team and George "has led the way in supporting Westbrook, both during and before Westbrook's Clippers tenure," per Murray, his relationship with CP3 is "much frostier, to say the least, after the last three years of Clippers-Suns matchups."
Leonard, on the other hand, reportedly "has a better relationship with Paul than most of the other Clippers." That could also factor into a potential pursuit of the veteran point guard.
Even if the Clippers don't ultimately land Paul, it's hard to see him being happy on a non-contender at this stage in his career, and the Wizards don't appear to be anywhere close to contention. CP3 feels likely to be rerouted soon enough.
From a basketball standpoint, the Clippers make a lot of sense.
