Blake Griffin Talks Disappointment with Clippers, Steve Ballmer amid Chris Paul's Exit
Blake Griffin weighed in on the Los Angeles Clippers' decision to release former teammate Chris Paul on Wednesday.
"I'm just disappointed, to be honest," Griffin said Friday on the Amazon Prime pregame broadcast. "I can't think of another word. Obviously shock at first, but disappointed. I'm disappointed for Chris Paul, but I'm disappointed in the Clippers organization. I mean, Chris Paul is a guy who came to the Clippers when DeAndre and I were first and second-year guys. He brought a winning culture."
Griffin also revealed that Paul didn't have conversations with Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue or governor Steve Ballmer regarding the move.
"I think the biggest reason I'm disappointed is what Chris said," he added. "No communication with Ty Lue. And, even more than that no communication. I talked to CP Wednesday, I talked to him yesterday, I talked to him today. No communication with Steve Ballmer. And that's the disappointing thing for me."
ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Paul's leadership style "clashed" with the Clippers, as he wasn't on speaking terms with Lue for "several weeks."
The 12-time All-Star struggled to make an impact while on the floor this year, averaging 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per game on 32.1/33.3/50.0 shooting splits.
Still, it was surprising to see Los Angeles cut ties with the veteran so early in the season. Paul also announced that he would be retiring at the end of his 2025-26 campaign on Nov. 22.
Griffin and Paul were teammates on the Clippers for six seasons from 2011-17. They led Los Angeles to the playoffs in each of their shared years with the organization.
