Chris Paul is certainly the most-accomplished free agent that remains unsigned this offseason. Now 40 years old, he has stated that he would like to play in the 2025-26 season, and that it would likely be his last. Reports have surfaced that he wants to play near his home in Los Angeles. While he’d like to play near his current home, apparently he has no interest of playing near his first-ever home. The Charlotte Hornets tried to bring Chris Paul in, but to no avail.
Hornets ‘Rebuffed’ In Attempt To Bring Home Future Hall of Famer
Chris Paul Not Interested In Hornets
Paul was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He attended West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina. Then, he returned to Winston-Salem to attend and play for Wake Forest, where he spent two years prior to his two-decade NBA career beginning. Apparently, Paul is not interested in ending his career where the first few chapters of his life occurred in the state of North Carolina.
According to Marc Stein, the Hornets tried speaking with him, but were turned away. On his Substack, Stein wrote,
League sources say that both the Suns and the Clippers continue to weigh the prospect of reuniting with Chris Paul. Yet it remains unclear what happens if a deal with neither of those previous employers materializes for the 40-year-old. Paul has already rebuffed an approach from his home-state Charlotte Hornets earlier in free agency and likewise has interest from Milwaukee but has shown little inclination to this point to consider overtures from Eastern Conference teams.
Now Paul previously played for a team known as the Hornets, but they weren’t based in Charlotte. He was drafted by, and played his first six years with the New Orleans Hornets.
Charlotte has seemingly moved on since not receiving interest from the ‘Point God’. They have re-signed Tre Mann and also signed Spencer Dinwiddie in free agency. Stein also mentions the Milwaukee Bucks, who have brought back Kevin Porter Jr. and reportedly will be adding Cole Anthony once he clears waivers after he was bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Two teams that Paul previously played for remain the teams that seem the favorites to land the 12-time All-Star.
Suns and Clippers Remain Favorites
With reports that Paul wants to play close to his LA home, the Clippers and Suns have been talked about as his two most-likely suitors. Of course, those are two teams where Paul left quite a mark.
The six-foot point guard played six seasons with the Clippers spanning from 2011-12 until 2016-17. Paul finished in the top-seven in MVP voting each of his first five years with the club. It was a fun time for their fans as it was the ‘Lob City’ era also featuring Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Phoenix was Paul’s NBA home for three seasons, as he played for them from 2020-21 until 2022-23. His first year with the team saw Paul reach the NBA Finals for the first time. The Suns went up 2-0 against the Bucks before Milwaukee won the ensuing four contests.
The Clippers offer a better opportunity for Paul to potentially win his first championship, while there is a greater likelihood that he could start for the Suns. He is coming off a season where he started all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs.
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