Clippers needed a playmker and a bolhandler, and were able to find that “natural fit” with Chris Paul.
Paul spent six seasons with clippers, at a time when he got a lot of success, which made him relevant and now returned to play his 21st season, which could be his last.
Paul, 40, a 12-bar all-star, agreed to a contract, which would pay him $ 3.6 million in the next season.
“Chris was a natural fit,” Lawrence Frank, president of the clippers of basketball operation, said on the zoom on Tuesday. “Their roots with the organization are deep and meaningful. He clearly played a tremendous role in the trajectory upwards of the franchise.
Paul has spent his entire 20 -year career as a starter in NBA, playing in all 82 matches with San Antonio Spurs in the previous season. He assisted 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.4 per game in an average of 28 minutes while shooting 42.7% from the ground.
Paul began in 1,314 while playing in 1,354 regular-season games.
Frank said that Paul would slot “a reserve point guard in our roster as a reserve point guard,” a role he discussed.
“So, we don’t take that light when you are playing a different role,” Frank said. “And so there was a lot of conversation. You put everything on the table and everyone became comfortable with it. But the fact that Chris wanted to come back, wanted to stay at home, wanted to live with clippers, we clearly know what his skill set is, but we also wanted to ensure that the role was understood right from the point of view of both people.
“And so I thought it is a very, very intensive process about how we went about, just to ensure that everyone knows what we are signing up and we really feel really good about it.”
Play time can also be difficult at the guard spot with Paul.
James Harden, who had an average of 35.3 minutes per game in the previous season, is a possible beginning in the backcort for Bradley Beal Clippers coach Tiren Lews. Then Chris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Paul who can be in rotation.
“We know that Bolhandling was an issue for us last year and we wanted Chris … Chris was the best boy for the job, until everyone understood what the role was and we could all hug it,” Frank said. “And so, we are very, very honest and direct and we feel great that Chris is back.”
Frank said that Harden played a big role in the team receiving the beel. Frank was asked if Harden had talked to Paul about returning to clippers. Harden and Paul played two sessions together in Houston from 2017 to 2019, and there were reports that there was tension in their relationship.
Frank said, “He did.” Asked whether Harden and Paul spoke.
“And when talking to James, talking to Kavi (Leonard) – and we talked about what the role would be – both people said that CP would be the best boy for this role,” Frank said.
Both Paul and Belle are wearing number 3 throughout their career. But Frank said that Beel will allow Paul to wear number 3 and later decide what his new number will be.
“So, it’s great that Brad made such a big gesture,” Frank said. “And so Chris will be number 3.”
During his six sessions with clippers, from 2011 to 2017, Paul helped the franchise reach new heights. He joined Blake Griffin and D&R Jordan to make “Lobe City”.
But it seems that this will be Paul’s last season in the NBA and will be with the clippers and will allow him to play in front of his family that lives in the Los Angeles area.
“Well, I think there is a indifferent aspect,” Frank said. “But I think the number 1 question that we always say can help impress winning? … And yes, see, its heart is a collapse, for someone who was such a critical part of the clippers’ rhise, to be able to bring it back.
