Chris Paul entered what he believed would be his final NBA season and expected a storybook ending in Los Angeles, returning to the franchise he helped resurrect and guiding the Clippers with the same relentless competitiveness that once redefined their culture.
Instead, the 12-time All-Star was blindsided. The Clippers delivered an abrupt, largely unexplained separation that stunned both Paul and the league. And now, adding to the drama, a new report reveals there were heated verbal exchanges between Paul and assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy shortly before the breakup.
Jeff Van Gundy’s Message for Chris Paul Before Clippers Split
Senior NBA insider Chris Haynes, who first broke the story, revealed that Paul and Van Gundy clashed over an incident that occurred during the Clippers’ matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on November 29. According to Haynes, Paul was frustrated with Kawhi Leonard’s defensive coverage on Klay Thompson and urged him to switch assignments.
“That happened in the game against the Dallas Mavericks,” Haynes recalled. “It was in the fourth quarter, Kawhi Leonard was on a minute restriction. Sources told me that when he was guarding Klay Thompson, he was struggling to keep up. So there was a timeout called late in that fourth quarter, and during that break, Chris Paul went to Kawhi and asked, ‘Hey man, do you feel like you can stick with Klay?’”
The two ultimately switched matchups. But the following day, Van Gundy addressed the situation directly.
“Jeff Van Gundy called a meeting on the plane with Chris Paul and asked him if he changed the defensive assignment,” Haynes said. “Chris said, ‘No, I didn’t change the assignment. I just suggested we might want someone else on Klay because Kawhi wasn’t warm yet.’”
Advertisement
Haynes then reported Van Gundy’s blunt message to the veteran guard: “You might have had leeway in other places to change defensive coverages, but you don’t have that leeway here.”
Advertisement
Chris Haynes on Chris Paul’s leeway post on IG:
“I was told that Jeff Van Gundy told Chris Paul listen you might have had leeway in other places to be able to change up defensive coverages but you don’t have that leeway here” 😬 pic.twitter.com/RVk9BqLP9J
According to Haynes, this was just one of several minor verbal dust-ups between Paul and Van Gundy as tensions quietly simmered.
The situation wasn’t limited to Van Gundy, either. Haynes previously reported friction between Paul and head coach Ty Lue: “Weeks ago, Chris Paul requested a meeting with Tyronn Lue to address allegations that he was being a negative presence on the team. Lue refused to meet with him. Lawrence Frank later traveled to Atlanta to deliver the news of the split.”
Advertisement
Like much of the NBA, Paul was blindsided by the decision and told Haynes he was still shaken by how abruptly it unfolded. Despite the shock, he has remained focused and prepared for whatever his next opportunity may be.
The NCAA Tournament bracket has been revealed, with 68 teams ready to compete for the ultimate college hoops crown. In the West Region, several heavyweights […]
