Clippers coach Ty Lue refutes claim he wasn’t on speaking terms with Chris Paul

The Los Angeles Clippers have far from expectations throughout the first quarter of the season. They are 6-18 and have the 23rd net ranking in the league. They’ve gone just 2-8 in their last 10 games, and things came to a head last week when it was announced that the team would be parting ways with franchise legend and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.

It was a shocking decision that is still difficult to understand, as Paul’s harsh criticism of the team’s poor start was the reason given for it. being sent home as the Clippers prepared to play the Atlanta Hawks on the road. Following Los Angeles’ decision, a report revealed that Paul and Clippers coach Ty Lue were not on speaking terms for weeks. On Tuesday, however, Lue refuted that claim.

“That’s not true,” Lue said. “We were talking. How is he going to play if I don’t talk to him? There was a period where he wasn’t going to play and being out of the rotation, it was hard for him because he’s a competitor. But after that, it wasn’t really a big deal.”

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Former Clippers star Blake Griffin said on an NBA broadcast on Prime that Paul told him that Lue and team owner Steve Ballmer had not contacted him since the decision. Lue confirmed this was true.

“Yeah, I haven’t heard from him either,” Lue said.

The longtime Clippers coach also noted that he was not part of the decision to part ways with Paul. When asked why now was the time to make this decision, Lue replied: “You have to ask [Clippers president] Laurent [Frank]”.

The Clippers’ plan is to work with Paul in hopes of facilitating a trade to a destination he prefers, according to Jake Fischer. While the 40-year-old goalkeeper announced at the end of November that he plans to retire at the end of this seasonit’s fair to wonder if he’d call it a career right now. But Fischer reports that Paul is more likely considering finishing the season with another team. It’s a sour way to end Paul’s Hall of Fame career, especially since he signed with the Clippers specifically to retire with the team he had the most success with and managed for many seasons.

But now that won’t happen anymore. Finding a team willing to play Paul can be difficult, and the veteran guard isn’t just looking for a spot on the team. Paul wants to find a place where he can make a meaningful contribution, which hasn’t been the case with the Clippers this season. He was averaging a career-low in minutes, despite starting all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs a season ago.

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There is a world in which Paul could provide a young team with veteran leadership while still maintaining a spot in the rotation, but it’s a question of which team is interested in bringing him in for the rest of the season. His strong leadership style hasn’t worked on a Clippers team with two superstars in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, but his words could have a positive impact on a young core still developing.

Over the summer, Paul received interest from the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, according to Fischer. Among this group, the Mavericks seem like a logical fit. Paul might not start every game, especially when Kyrie Irving returns, but he could provide advice to players like Cooper Flagg and a young backcourt of Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard, the latter of whom is a Dallas star.

But that’s assuming the Mavericks, or any of the teams above, are still interested in Paul. Right now, though, the Clippers are on hold until Dec. 15, when Paul can be traded. But in three games since the announcement, the Clippers have gone just 1-2. So sending home a franchise icon certainly didn’t help matters.