Somebody in the Clippers organization woke up and decided to wreck fans today. Before the team plays against the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow, the LA Clippers sent Chris Paul home. Just like that. No warning, no hints. They came back from Miami defeated, 140-123 and decided to part ways with the 40-year-old star.

It was meant to be his final season, but his cut farewell tour short. While fans are raging or crying, CP3 himself took an oddly anticlimactic stance.

“Just found out I’m being sent home ✌️” he wrote on his Stories, not sounding as devastated as LA fans are right now. Which might be a good thing? It seems to indicate he was just as blindsided as us when he directly made the announcement.

It’s more clipped (pun intended) than the Clippers justifying their reasons in their statement through the team’s GM, Lawrence Frank. “We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team. We will work with him on the next step of his career. Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.”

Even if they say they don’t blame Paul for his “underperformance,” the mention of it is jarring. The Clippers have the most enviable experienced roster in the league. While James Harden and Kawhi Leonard carry the load, CP3 has struggled to score over 10. He’s averaged 2.6 points in his second Clippers stint. Yet his disappointing 8 points yesterday couldn’t have predicted this outcome.

Clippers blindsided Chris Paul

There’s a lot to indicate Chris Paul did not see this coming. The most indicative was his Instagram Story before he confirmed he was ‘sent home.’

He posted a Reel only last night celebrating his homecoming. Paul played for the team from 2011 to 2017, was the pillar of the ‘Lob City’ era, and had his fair share of disputes with the organization. Yet returning to the same team for his final season was emotional for him and LA. His post reflected that.

“In your 20s you wil be asked to move to a city in LA… it’s not on a map, but it is very important you practice lobs before you get there,” his post read. Ironically the official Clippers page responded with an emotional emoji. Well, we assume the Clippers’ social media manager was as much in the dark as everyone outside Frank’s office.

Oddly enough the math is not making sense of the decision. The Clippers are way under the first apron (don’t ask if it’s because of the Aspiration drama, that has nothing to do with CP3). An NBA team mandates 14 players. So Paul will be on the roster and get paid the remainder of his $3.6 million salary. Unlese the Clippers trade him.

What the future holds for Paul between this sudden development and impending retirement is unclear. We’ll probably know when CP3 does.