What NBA Team Should Save Chris Paul's Retirement Tour?
As if Chris Paul's retirement tour wasn't already veering off its intended course, the Los Angeles Clippers have decided to part ways with him. The catalyst for his departure appears to be a clash in leadership style with head coach Tyronn Lue, at minimum.
This raises the question: Which team, if any, should swoop in and attempt to save CP3's final season—a farewell tour that had gone horribly awry long before the Clippers sent him packing in the middle of a road trip?
The answer, not unlike CP3's legacy, is complicated.
CP3's Next Team Must Account for the Baggage
While he's a sure-fire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, Paul's career is inundated with what-ifs and have-nots.
His first tenure with the Clippers was marked by postseason flameouts galore. Across two-plus decades, he has made just two conference finals appearances. His lone NBA Finals cameo came in 2021 with the Phoenix Suns, who blew a 2-0 lead to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Paul has never been painted as the reason he and his teams fell short. He is considered a driver of winning. Ringz culture will disagree, but it's tough to argue the point.
Paul propped up the New Orleans franchise for more than a half-decade. He put the Clippers on the map with his first tenure. Along with James Harden, he entrenched the Houston Rockets as the biggest threat to the dynastic Golden State Warriors.
CP3 assimilated into the plucky-upstart reboot of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He helped guide the Suns out of laughingstock territory. And while his lone year with Golden State wasn't the smoothest, he followed that up by starting all 82 games last season, at the age of 39, for a San Antonio Spurs franchise in need of a floor-general stopgap and mentor.
Now…this.
No winners emerged from the CP3-Clippers reunion. Pairing him with Harden again was always misguided, regardless of what offseason report cards told you.
Still, the messy ending is a reminder of Paul's baggage, even as a 40-year-old reserve. His leadership style could be grating, to some, in his heyday. Unapologetic bluntness will not go over any better now.
This raises yet another issue when figuring out his next steps: What exactly is Paul hoping to get from the rest of this season? Is it more important to him that he plays or lands on a contender? Is there a team out there that can offer both?
1 Complication in Finding a New Team
Because nothing with these Clippers is ever easy, Paul can't land with a new team until his trade restriction lifts on Dec. 15.
Los Angeles is within $1.3 million of the first apron, at which it is hard-capped. As Keith Smith of Spotrac points out, this doesn't leave the Clippers with enough room to waive CP3 and then sign someone else to bring the roster up to a minimum of 14 players.
Converting two-way player Kobe Sanders to a standard NBA contract is a potential workaround. So, too, is a prospective buyout with Paul.
More likely than not, though, CP3's next team will have to acquire him via trade. And while absorbing a minimum salary is effortless for some squads, others would need to figure out matching money to account for their own hard-cap situations.
Ranking the Best Chris Paul Trade Destinations
With all of this in mind, let's run through the top CP3 landing spots.
We will be operating under the assumption that he's open to anything at this point, but rankings will take into account proximity to title contention, prospective playing time and, of course, nostalgic pangs.
5. Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are not headed anywhere special this season, but what they lack in immediate hope, they make up for with opportunity. They desperately need someone who can organize their offense until Kyrie Irving returns from his ACL injury.
CP3 showed as recently as last season that he can still be a useful pick-and-roll maestro. If the Point God has anything left in the tank, he can streamline touches for all of the Mavs' play-finishers, including Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg.
Dallas has its own hard-cap issues, but a one-for-one swap of Paul for the injured Dante Exum could work.
4. Portland Trail Blazers
Putting the leadership styles of (the injured) Damian Lillard and Paul in the same building would be quite the experiment. And it just might work.
CP3 shouldn't feel as empowered or obligated to take on the foremost leadership role with Dame already on the roster. But he gives the (also injured) Scoot Henderson yet another future Hall-of-Famer under which to learn.
Though the Portland Trail Blazers' frenetic style isn't conducive to adding a 40-year-old, there's room for a change-of-pace look. The offense ranks 28th in half-court efficiency and has the runway to field another ball-handler following an injury to Blake Wesley—who'd presumably be the outgoing salary in any trade.
3. Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks need another creator to direct the offense when Giannis Antetokounmpo is off the floor. This, of course, presumes they will continue to have him on the floor.
Giannis and his representation are working with the Bucks to determine whether his best long-term fit is Milwaukee, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Don't stop us if you've heard this one before. You have.
Assuming the Bucks are still trying to salvage the Giannis situation without mortgaging more of their future, betting on a mini-CP3 resurgence out of pure spite for the Clippers is a solid last-ditch effort to explore.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
Even as Anthony Edwards tears it up as the center of the Minnesota Timberwolves' offensive universe, the idea of adding another reliable ball-handler who can limit turnovers and organize half-court sets remains tantalizing. Rolling the dice on CP3 should cost little.
Figuring out a trade gets difficult if the Wolves want to retain Joe Ingles' locker-room presence and stay in the Bones Hyland business. But they can always fold CP3 into larger trades involving more teams and bigger contracts.
Utility is the bigger issue. Does CP3 actually do more for the offense than Mike Conley or Rob Dillingham? Does he have a path toward being even close to as useful as Jaylen Clark? With a strong locker-room backbone in place thanks to Edwards, Ingles and Conley, it may be worth finding out.
1. New Orleans Pelicans
Nostalgia is one heck of a drug.
Sure, the New Orleans Pelicans are going nowhere, but wouldn't it be cool to see CP3 finish his career where it all started? While also mentoring Jeremiah Fears in the process?
Problems with Paul's leadership style are virtually nonexistent here. The Pelicans may welcome it. Plus, this isn't a situation CP3 latches onto without eyes wide open. The lack of immediate stakes likely brings out a different side of him.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
