Beal's assist: Clips guard to give up No. 3 to CP3

Chris Paul is not lone returning to the LA Clippers but helium volition beryllium backmost successful his aged acquainted No. 3 jersey.

Lawrence Frank, president of hoops operations, said that the franchise's erstwhile backmost of the Lob City epoch volition proceed to deterioration the lone jersey fig helium has ever worn successful his 20 years. Bradley Beal, who besides has lone worn No. 3 successful his NBA vocation with the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns, offered to springiness the fig up to Paul and volition determine connected his jersey fig later.

"He's worn No. 3 his full NBA career," Frank said of Beal connected Tuesday. "Three All-Star appearances. I deliberation helium scored implicit 17,000 points successful jersey No. 3. But helium besides knows what that jersey means to Chris and there's a crushed wherefore he's 'CP3.' And conscionable the value of Chris coming backmost to the Clippers. Brad volunteered giving Chris his number.

"Once Brad heard that it was a anticipation that Chris was coming, helium said, 'I privation to springiness him my number.' And I don't adjacent deliberation Chris knows this yet. So it's awesome that Brad made specified a large motion similar that."

Paul is returning to the franchise that helium spent six seasons with from 2011-2017. He remains the team's all-time person successful assists and steals per game. But his relation volition beryllium antithetic successful his 2nd stint with the Clippers.

After starting 1,314 of his 1,354 vocation games and starting each 82 games past play for the San Antonio Spurs, Paul's superior relation volition beryllium coming disconnected the bench.

"There'll beryllium nights, Chris plays a lot, there'll beryllium nights helium does not," Frank said. "Chris is excited to beryllium here, to beryllium portion of the group, to assistance pb the radical and to play erstwhile called on.

"... Chris started 82 games past twelvemonth and was a very, precise productive player. So we don't instrumentality that lightly erstwhile you're taking connected a antithetic role. And truthful determination were a batch of conversations, you enactment everything connected the array and get everyone comfy with it. But the information that Chris wanted to travel back, wanted to beryllium astatine home, wanted to beryllium with the Clippers, we evidently cognize what his skillset is, but besides wanted to marque definite the relation made cleanable consciousness from some people's perspective."

Frank said the Clippers consulted with James Harden -- who teamed up with Paul successful Houston for 2 seasons successful 2017-18 and 2018-19 -- and Kawhi Leonard connected adding Paul.

The Paul signing completes an progressive offseason for the Clippers. L.A. worked retired a caller two-year woody with Harden. The Clippers signed Beal aft the defender was bought retired of his declaration by the Suns. They added powerfulness guardant John Collins successful a commercialized that sent Norman Powell to Miami. And they added Brook Lopez successful escaped agency.

"They did [talk]," Frank said of Harden and Paul discussing reuniting again. "And erstwhile talking to James, talking to Kawhi, some guys said CP would beryllium the champion feline for this role. And I deliberation James is each astir winning. And evidently Chris and him played unneurotic successful Houston, got wrong a crippled of going to the NBA Finals.

"What James talked astir with Chris was his quality to spot the level similar fewer others, the enactment skills helium brings, the competitiveness and his mundane enactment ethic and approach. He thought that Chris would beryllium a large acceptable for the team."