Early Friday evening, the news broke that Blake Griffin had decided to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers in order to become an unrestricted free agent.
Now, less than an hour later, we have news that Chris Paul has decided to do the same.
Paul has spent the last six seasons with the Clippers after being traded to Los Angeles from the then-New Orleans Hornets.
As was the case with his teammate Griffin, Paul's decision to opt out and enter free agency is not surprising, and for many of the same reasons. The Clippers are a very good team, but have -- at times due to injuries, to be fair -- not been able to live up to expectations in the playoffs. With multiple players' contracts up this summer, it seems changes could be coming to the red and white part of Staples Center. At the very least, it is worth entering free agency and surveying the various options out there.
In addition, Paul is now 32, and this summer may be his last chance to get a max contract. Just like Griffin, he could return to the Clippers, but other teams, including the San Antonio Spurs, will be quite eager to steal him away.