According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the veteran point guard has made the decision to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers – a deal triggering a reunion. It has been eight years since he has last played for the organization.

Chris Paul is set to sign a one-year, $3.6 million to play in his 21st season. This is reported to be his last contract of his professional basketball career, as the 2025-26 season will be his last.

Paul has made it very clear that he wanted to stay close to family and be in the Los Angeles area. This had been a constant theme for several months.

Despite him wanting to have a solid role that allows him to start, Los Angeles has informed the 40-year-old that he will not be having a big role and many see limited minutes at certain points of the season. Paul was fine with this.

The Clippers have been very active this season in acquiring Bradley Beal, John Collins, and now Paul.

According to multiple reports, Chris Paul is taking his time in deciding his next team for the upcoming season. He has many factors he is taking into consideration, some of it concerns family and some of it concerns his role within the team.

Paul does not want a bench role, as he has no desire to be apart of a team who does not allow him to command their team. It’s assumed he wants to be a future team’s starting point guard.

Two teams that Paul is deciding between are the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. Phoenix is looking for a new starting point guard, especially after Tyus Jones left the Suns in free agency. For Los Angeles, they can transition James Harden to shooting guard, put Kris Dunn on the bench, and have Paul play point guard.

The 40-year-old has played off the bench only 40 games in 1,300 career games, that all came during his time with the Golden State Warriors during the 2023-24. It has been said he does not want to repeat that experience.

Last season, fans saw Paul play all 82 games without fail. That was the second time in his career he had played the entire season. He averaged 8.8 points, 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game with the San Antonio Spurs.

With Chris Paul set to hit free agency, officially completing his one-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs, he is now deciding whether he wants to continue playing basketball or retire to become more of a family man.

Despite him preparing himself mentally and physically to play next season, the 40-year-old has made it clear he is putting his wife and children first in whatever decision he makes. He has made it known he has no answers to anything relating to his future in the NBA.

Paul’s family is in Los Angeles, which could prompt him to relocate his talents to the west coast to be closer to them. He admitted publicly that he has been away from his family for six seasons, which has taken a toll on him mentally. The veteran point guard has expressed how he can’t get that time back with his loved ones.

“It’s with my family more than anything,” Paul said. “My son just turned 16. My daughter is 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them. I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State — they were in Houston with me — Oklahoma City… I’ve been around a few teams, but I’ve been away from them the last six years. It’s a little different. That’s the conversation.”

“Well, I don’t think I want to play for a while,” Paul said. “I’m being honest with you — I want to be Dad. I still love to play. I was up in the gym at 6 am this morning. Yesterday, I was in the gym. Day before, I was in the gym. It’s crazy. You know, my daughter actually hoops now, so before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes. With kids, sometimes you gotta do short sessions, so I was in 20 minutes doing ball handling with her, and it was priceless. You don’t get that time back.”