Clippers agree to deal with 12-time All-Star

It will be a one-year, $3.6M deal for Paul, per NBA insider Chris Haynes.

Paul received interest from a number of teams during free agency, but was known to be prioritizing an opportunity to play close to his family in Los Angeles. He reportedly rebuffed interest from Eastern Conference suitors like the Bucks and Hornets, as well as non-West Coast clubs like the Mavericks. The Clippers and Suns were long viewed as the most likely landing spots for the future Hall of Famer.

Paul, who turned 40 in May, spent six seasons with the Clippers from 2011-17 during what was arguably the most successful stretch of his NBA career. He received MVP and Defensive Player of the Year votes in each of his first five seasons in Los Angeles and was an All-Defensive first-teamer in all six years. He also made five consecutive All-Star teams and earned five All-NBA nods (three first-team and two second-team) in his first go-round as a Clipper.

While Paul is no longer in his prime, he started every game for San Antonio last season, marking just the second time in his 20 NBA seasons that he has made 82 regular season appearances. The former Wake Forest standout averaged a career-low 8.8 points per game for the Spurs, but contributed 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per night while making 37.7 percent of his three-point attempts and 92.4 percent of his free throws.

Paul has started 1,314 of his 1,354 career NBA games, with all 40 of those appearances off the bench coming in Golden State in 2023-24. It’s unclear if he’ll get a chance to be part of the starting five in L.A. next season, with James Harden, Bradley Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic and defensive ace Kris Dunn all in the backcourt mix as well.

Still, having Paul on the roster further solidifies the depth chart for a Clippers team that has made several notable veteran additions with limited resources this offseason. The club split its mid-level exception on Beal and Brook Lopez, traded Norman Powell for John Collins and will now bring Paul aboard.

Once their signing of Paul is complete, the Clippers will have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts. They won’t have enough breathing room below their first tax apron hard cap to add another veteran-minimum player before the season begins.