Chris Paul, Clippers Agree to Contract After Bradley Beal Deal in 2025 NBA Free Agency

Chris Paul is returning to the NBA for a 21st—and potentially final—season in the NBA.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Paul has agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2025-26 season.

According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the one-year deal is worth $3.6 million.

The Clippers announced the deal Monday, with team president Lawrence Frank noting Paul was "joining us as a reserve point guard."

The move comes after Bradley Beal agreed to a deal with Los Angeles last week following a buyout from the Phoenix Suns.

Paul indicated at the American Black Film Festival in July that he would only play "at the most" another year in the NBA.

"I just finished my 20th season, which is a blessing in itself. I've been in the NBA for more than half of my life, which is a blessing. But these years you do not get back with your kids, with your family," said Paul.

Paul spent the 2024-25 campaign with the San Antonio Spurs, acting as a mentor to a young roster, particularly Victor Wembanyama.

Even though things didn't work out exactly as the Spurs would have liked, in addition to losing Wembanyama for the season in February when he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his shoulder, Paul showed he's still capable of being an effective offensive engine at point guard.

Paul's scoring numbers dipped to a career-low 8.8 points per game last season, but he's still an efficient scorer with a 37.7 percent success rate from three. The future Hall of Famer remains a terrific passer with 7.4 assists per contest in 2024-25.

Before Wembanyama's season ended prematurely, his pairing with Paul was very good for the Spurs. They were the only two-man lineup on the team that had a positive net rating with at least 1,000 minutes played together (plus-6.2).

Paul's role with the Spurs seemed unclear after they acquired De'Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings prior to the trade deadline on Feb. 6. Both of them remained in the starting lineup together, but it seemed redundant keep them together unless Paul was going to come off the bench.

If the Fox trade made Paul's future in San Antonio murky, the Spurs winning the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA draft lottery with the chance to potentially take Dylan Harper likely sealed his fate.

Paul has found a home with the Clippers that will presumably allow him to carve out a significant role next season. He also has the opportunity to compete for a championship that has eluded him throughout his otherwise legendary career to this point.

The Clippers' addition of Paul reunites him with James Harden after their two-year stint as teammates in Houston from 2017 to '19. Their partnership didn't end on the best of terms, though it was incredibly successful with the Rockets winning 118 games during those two seasons.

Paul's signing also brings him back to the organization that he helped put back on the map during the absolute peak of his career. The future Hall of Famer played six seasons with the Clippers from 2011 to '17. He led them to the playoffs every year during that span after the franchise made a total of seven postseason appearances from 1970 to 2011.

The Clippers won't be getting that version of Paul this time around, but he does help stabilize their backcourt as they look to make another push for the playoffs in 2025-26.

Los Angeles had to rely on Ben Simmons as its backup point guard last season. Paul, even at this late stage of his career, is still a more useful player because of his passing and ability to make outside shots.

The Clippers have loaded up their backcourt going into next season with Paul joining Bradley Beal as new additions to the group. Their depth is going to be a huge asset in their quest to challenge top teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference.