Chris Paul Trade Rumors: Clippers, Wizards Haven't Had 'Significant' Discussions

The Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards have held "no significant trade conversations" regarding Chris Paul, according to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.

Paul was included in the reported Bradley Beal trade, but he doesn't figure to stick around in Washington as the Wizards embark on a rebuild. Fischer reported the star guard and the Clippers have a mutual interest in a reunion.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Paul is waiting for the Beal trade to potentially evolve into a three-team swap that sends him somewhere other than the Wizards:

However, Wojnarowski added Washington might be prepared to keep the 38-year-old and avoid totally bottoming out.

The Oklahoma City Thunder did something similar in 2019-20 when they held onto Paul following the offseason departures of Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Granted, Oklahoma City was starting from a stronger position than the Wizards coming off a 49-win campaign and with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the cornerstone of the future.

The idea that Washington isn't going into tank mode runs somewhat counter to getting pennies—is there a currency worth less than the penny?—in return for Beal as well. The entire purpose of the move is to set the stage for a rebuild, one that will take a long time because the organization has little in the way of promising young talent.

Trading Paul or waiving him altogether makes the most sense, and the Clippers are one of the more logical landing spots.

Los Angeles checks all of the boxes. The team remains all in with its push for a title, and it has a clear need for a veteran point guard with Russell Westbrook hitting free agency. While a lot of faces behind the scenes of changed, the Clippers represent a sense of familiarity for Paul too since he spent six years there.

From the Wizards' perspective, it's hard to see what benefit having Paul on the roster serves given the organization's general priorities.