NBA Insider Says Chris Paul's Situation 'Isn't Like JR Smith Throwing the Soup in CLE'

Chris Paul's short-lived reunion with the Los Angeles Clippers was a death by a thousand cuts rather than being undone by a singular moment, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

"There really wasn't one thing," one source said to Shelburne. "This isn't like J.R. Smith throwing the soup in Cleveland."

Smith famously earned a one-game suspension from the Cleveland Cavaliers in March 2018 after reportedly throwing a bowl of soup in the direction of assistant coach Damon Jones.

The incident actually did little in terms of diminishing Smith's role in the squad. He appeared in all 22 of the Cavs' playoff games and remained with Cleveland through the start of the 2018-19 season.

Recalling the anecdote was a way to provide more context behind how Paul's relationship with the Clippers deteriorated.

Per Shelburne, he had "a few arguments" with head coach Tyronn Lue and assistant Jeff Van Gundy, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank met with him "multiple" times to address his approach behind the scenes. Over time, it clearly became too much.

Plenty of notable stars have left their teams in spectacular circumstances. James Harden is a master of using disruption in order to achieve his own ends. There was that practice session when Jimmy Butler called out his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates.

In the case of the Clippers and Paul, what unfolded sounds pretty straightforward. The idea was great in theory and proved to be terrible in practice.

Especially when the 12-time All-Star is reportedly retiring at the end of the season, Los Angeles had little reason to prolong the partnership.