Clippers Sign PG to Bolster Backcourt Depth After Chris Paul's Departure

The Los Angeles Clippers followed their decision to part ways with Chris Paul with a point guard signing.

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The Los Angeles Clippers stole all headlines with an abrupt decision to move on from Chris Paul. After a disastrous 5-16 start, the Clippers told the 40-year-old point guard to go home on Wednesday morning, cutting his reunion with the organization short. The poor treatment of a franchise legend aside, this also had on-court ramifications for the Clippers. Already unable to fill their final roster spot due to apron limitations, Paul's departure left the Clippers with only 13 players. Add Bradley Beal's season-ending injury and Bogdan Bogdanovic's multi-week absence, and the Clippers are left severely short-handed, especially in the backcourt.

On Wednesday night, they addressed these concerns. The Athletic's Law Murray reported that the Clippers were signing PG RayJ Dennis to a two-way contract. To make room, the Clippers released Jahmyl Telfort.

Clippers Bring Back RayJ Dennis on a Two-Way Deal

This will be a return to the Clippers organization for Dennis. The 24-year-old played for the Clippers in the 2024 Summer League and spent the first half of the 2024-25 season playing in the G League for the San Diego Clippers. In his 18 games there, Dennis averaged 16.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on 46.6/34.1/79.2 shooting splits in 31.3 minutes per game. This earned him a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers in January 2025. After starting the 2025-26 season with the Pacers and suiting up for 13 games, Dennis was waived on Sunday.

For Telfort, this is a disappointing development. He is undeservedly getting squeezed due to roster spot issues, even though he has impressed in his brief stints as a versatile wing. For the Clippers, however, their desperate need for more point guard depth forced them into this move.

It is unrealistic to expect Dennis to solve LA's backup PG concerns. The Clippers continue to struggle offensively whenever James Harden sits. This was no different in Wednesday's win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Clippers played without a traditional point guard in Harden-less minutes, Cam Christie and Kobe Sanders sharing the backcourt. Kris Dunn remains another option for those minutes, but his offensive limitations are well-documented.

Dennis has struggled with efficiency and production in his NBA career so far, and isn't a high-level shooter yet. How much of a panacea he can be, even in limited minutes for this already offensively-challenged group, remains to be seen. Once the Chris Paul situation is resolved once and for all (whether by an official release or a trade), the Clippers will likely have to properly address their backcourt depth.