Oct 15, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) gestures towards a teammate during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The L.A. Clippers shocked the NBA world when they released franchise legend Chris Paul in the middle of the night. While yes, the Clippers might have done Paul a favor by giving him a life raft off a sinking ship, it's still a terrible look for the organization to unceremoniously cut perhaps the best player in team history during his NBA farewell tour.

A new report from ESPN's Shams Charania makes the Clippers' conduct with Paul here look even worse.

Apparently, the reasoning behind Paul's late-night release had to do with tension with head coach Tyronn Lue. As a 40-year-old future Hall of Famer who has been around the block more than a few times, Paul reportedly tried to keep Clippers coaches and players accountable as they flounder about at the bottom of the Western Conference. This did not sit well with Clippers leaders, especially Lue, who wasn't even on speaking terms with Paul before his release.

Woof, to say the least:

The writing was probably on the wall for Paul when Lue reportedly refused to even meet with him about being a disruption.

Look, I don't know what Paul was doing or what he said exactly. But I doubt he was actively trying to be a "negative presence" by holding the Clippers to a higher standard in a rough season for the franchise. It is not uncommon at all for veterans in Paul's position to be very vocal behind the scenes. He wanted his last NBA season to be with the Clippers! He actually likes the Clippers and isn't just some guy. He's a future Hall of Famer who knows what he's talking about.

He wanted to help!

If Clippers leaders like Lue think something like that undermines their authority, then that speaks volumes about where the Clippers are as an organization. And it's nothing good.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why did Clippers release Chris Paul? What reports say about Ty Lue

Reporting by Robert Zeglinski, For The Win / For The Win

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