Clippers president: Seriously considering signing Paul, Harden's pay cut helps the team acquire Beal and Lopez.

On July 20, Beijing time, Lawrence Frank, the Clippers' president of basketball operations, stated in an interview that the team is "seriously considering" signing free agent point guard Chris Paul. Additionally, he discussed some topics regarding Beal's joining during the press conference.

Although the Clippers' projected roster has two vacancies, they only have about $3.57 million in maneuvering space under the first luxury tax line, meaning the team can sign at most one veteran minimum contract before the season starts.When considering the 14th roster spot, adding playmaking and ball-handling skills will be the top priority for the Clippers.

If Paul decides to continue his career and starts his 21st NBA season in 2025-26, it is well known that he would prefer a team close to his family in Los Angeles, making the Clippers a reasonable choice in this regard.

At least one report indicated that Paul started all 82 games last season for the Spurs.He hopes to continue as a starter—but after the Clippers signed Bradley Beal, such a role may be harder to achieve..

Here are some other noteworthy comments from Frank during today's press conference—

Frank elaborated on the finalized signing of Beal, mentioning that the team had previously attempted to acquire the shooting guard through trades on two occasions. He noted that the Clippers targeted Beal for his secondary playmaking and ball-handling abilities, and he believes the 32-year-old can make a positive contribution on the defensive end. Furthermore, Frank emphasized the desire to involve Beal in handoff plays after screens, a strategy the Clippers have often used with Norman Powell in the past.

Frank revealed that Beal's agent, Mark Bartelstein, communicated with many people within the team before his client committed to joining the Clippers, including a half-hour conversation with Harden.

Frank praised Harden for being willing to take a pay cut, which allowed the Clippers to create enough space under the first luxury tax line to utilize the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, enabling them to sign Beal and free agent center Brook Lopez.The Clippers are one of three teams to fully utilize the $14.104 million mid-level exception for the 2025-26 season, along with the Pistons and Lakers.

When discussing the additions of Lopez and John Collins, Frank explained that increasing frontcourt size is a priority for the Clippers, aiming to bring in players with a more diverse skill set for complementarity.

Frank noted that the Clippers expect to have 10 players in the rotation, but head coach Tyronn Lue "typically" uses only nine. He stated that as the Clippers weigh candidates for the 14th spot and finalize their rotation this fall, role definition and communication will be key.