Ty Lue's New Remarks on Chris Paul Ring Hollow After Abrupt Departure

The Los Angeles Clippers' justifications about sending Chris Paul home have not been satisfactory.

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers sent shockwaves to the NBA by suddenly cutting ties with Chris Paul in the early hours of Wednesday morning. More than the decision itself, the way it was handled caught many NBA watchers by surprise. Since then, the Clippers' lead decision-makers have been doing damage control PR to explain themselves. After Lawrence Frank's unsatisfactory remarks about his reasoning, Ty Lue took the podium before the Hawks game to explain the team's decision.

Joey Linn of Clippers on SI reported on Lue's remarks from Wednesday evening: "I just think it wasn’t a good fit for what he was looking for. It is what it is. Do I want to see CP go out like this? No. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a friend of mine over the years. You never wanna see a great go out like this."

Ty Lue on Chris Paul:

“I just think it wasn’t a good fit for what he was looking for. It is what it is. Do I want to see CP go out like this? No. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a friend of mine over the years. You never wanna see a great go out like this. But I’m… pic.twitter.com/BFZHJed7rM

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) December 3, 2025

Clippers' Reasoning to Send Chris Paul Home Still Makes Little Sense

Lue's emphasis on not wanting to see Paul go out like this certainly raises eyebrows. Even if the Clippers made the decision to move on from him, was telling him in the middle of the night, in the middle of a road trip, really the best way to handle it? Could the team not have worked with him behind the scenes to find him a new home without publicly throwing their franchise legend under the bus? Paul's "going out like this" was entirely up to the discretion of the Clippers, and they chose to do it this way.

There is also a clear omission on Lue's side about what really went down. Lue is suggesting that it wasn't a "good fit" but the Clippers, who have no other backup point guards on the roster, clearly need Paul. Plus, Paul is a more well-known commodity than perhaps any other player in the league, both as a vocal leader and a competitor. Did the Clippers really expect something else out of Paul when they signed him only a few months ago?

The more likely reason for the divorce has already been reported by NBA insiders Shams Charania and Chris Haynes.

Charania reported that Lue and Paul have not been on speaking terms after the 40-year-old guard had been vocal about the team's struggles, leading to a "disruptive" atmosphere within the team. Per Haynes, Paul requested a meeting with Lue a few weeks ago to discuss "allegations of being a negative presence on the team," but Lue refused to meet with him.

Without getting too deep into a "he said she said" situation, it's clear that the relationship between Lue and Paul had soured to a breaking point. The Clippers head coach could and should have addressed this instead of platitudes about Paul being a good friend and the problem being about the "fit".

Even if we buy Lue's reasoning to send Paul home, what Clippers fans are upset about isn't necessarily the decision. The public and embarrassing nature of the organization's treatment of an all-time great on his farewell tour is the real problem. And neither Frank nor Lue has offered a satisfactory response to those concerns.