Chris Paul‘s short-lived tenure with the Toronto Raptors has officially come to an end.
The future Hall of Fame point guard has been waived, the team announced on Friday.
Paul was acquired by Toronto ahead of last week’s NBA trade deadline in a three-team swap that sent Ochai Agbaji to the Brooklyn Nets and got the Raptors under the luxury tax line.
When the deal first broke, it was immediately reported that Paul would not be required to report, and that remained the case as he did not suit up for the franchise before being waived.
After the deadline, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said he was in contact with Paul’s agent to work out an amicable resolution as the 12-time all-star looks for a landing spot in what will be his final NBA season.
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Paul announced in November that Year 21 would be his last, and it was meant to be with the Los Angeles Clippers, after he rejoined the franchise he had some of his best years with previously.
Instead, the Clippers announced on Dec. 3 that they’d be parting ways with Paul and sending him home after reported strife between the veteran floor general and head coach Tyronn Lue.
Paul is now eligible to sign with another team and be eligible for the playoffs. It would be his 16th trip to the post-season should he join a team that makes it.
The 11-time all-NBAer has made 16 appearances this season, averaging career lows of 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per game. He holds career averages of 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 9.2 assists on 46.9/37.0/87.0 per cent shooting splits over 1,370 regular-season games with seven different teams.
Yet Paul seemingly has more to offer, considering he started all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals while playing 28.0 minutes per night.
As for the Raptors, the move opens up a roster spot, leaving them with 14 players and three two-ways. Toronto can now add a player through a variety of ways, such as via the buyout market, converting one of its two-ways or cycling through 10-day contracts.
