‘Stunned’ Chris Paul tried changing Clippers’ minds with ‘character witness’ before tense divorce

The tense divorce between the Clippers and veteran point guard Chris Paul was weeks in the making before the 12-time All-star ultimately was sent home by the team earlier this month.

ESPN released a lengthy report Tuesday by NBA insider Ramona Shelburne taking a deep dive into the breakup, including details of a rift between Paul and Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue and assistant Jeff Van Gundy.

The 40-year-old Paul officially became trade eligible on Monday after signing a one-year, $3.6 million deal as a free agent over the summer to return to the franchise he previously played for from 2011-17.

According to the report, Paul met with Clippers president Lawrence Frank on Dec. 2 in Atlanta following an argument with Van Gundy on the team plane from Miami. Paul “did not see it coming” when Frank informed him the team was sending him back to Los Angeles.

“Paul was stunned, sources said, and tried to plead his case,” Shelburne wrote. “At one point, he brought teammate Brook Lopez into the room as something of a character witness.

“Lopez and [Kawhi] Leonard were Paul’s most ardent supporters on the team, sources said. Paul reminded Frank that he’d asked him to facilitate another meeting with Lue and that hadn’t happened. Frank acknowledged that, but held firm. The decision had been made.”