Chris Paul Returns to Clippers for Likely Final NBA Season Amid Age Concerns

The Los Angeles Clippers have officially signed 40-year-old Chris Paul, bringing back the veteran point guard for what is expected to be his final season in the NBA. The move reunites Paul with the franchise where he spent six memorable years, turning the Clippers into a perennial playoff team during the “Lob City” era alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

After beginning his career with the then-New Orleans Hornets, Paul was famously traded to the Clippers in 2011 following the NBA’s controversial decision to block a trade to the Lakers. Over the next six seasons, Paul helped transform the Clippers into a legitimate force in the Western Conference, making the playoffs every year during his tenure.

Now, in what may be his swan song, Paul returns to a team brimming with talent and experience, and, critics argue, age. The Clippers have loaded up ahead of the 2025–26 season, adding Bradley Beal and John Collins to a roster already featuring James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac. But concerns remain about whether the Clippers’ aging core can keep up in a stacked Western Conference.

ESPN analyst and former NBA center Kendrick Perkins didn’t mince words. “Congratulations to Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers,” Perkins said with sarcasm on NBA Today. “They have officially become the nursing home for the NBA for the players that are on the backend of their career.”

Perkins questioned whether the move makes the Clippers more competitive. “If we think this is about to move the needle for the Clippers… it’s not. The Clippers look old.”

While Paul is no longer expected to lead an offense, his value lies in his ability to run the second unit — a role the Clippers sorely needed filled. Defensive specialist Kris Dunn brings energy and toughness but lacks Paul’s vision and playmaking, qualities still evident in Paul despite his age.

Still, Perkins’ criticism isn’t without merit. The Clippers’ core reads like an all-star reunion: Harden turns 36 soon, Kawhi Leonard is 34, Brook Lopez and Nicolas Batum are both 37, and now Paul adds further mileage. Injuries have haunted the Clippers in recent seasons, and health will again be a decisive factor.

For Paul, it’s one final shot at a title — with the team where he once helped ignite a basketball revolution in Los Angeles. Whether the reunion brings closure, or contention, remains to be seen.