Chris Paul brutally mocks Clippers after play-in loss and Paul George trade hands OKC lottery pick

The LA Clippers’ season is over and one man is revelling in their misery more than most.

That man is Chris Paul.

AP

The Clippers suffered a 126-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Play-In Tournament at home after Stephen Curry rolled back the years with a vintage shooting display and game-high 35 points.

Shortly following their defeat, in which they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, Clippers legend Paul posted the popular meme of a man dressed for a funeral to his Instagram story in what appeared to be him trolling his former team.

Of course, the now-retired ‘Point God’ started the 2025-26 NBA season on the Clippers roster, hoping to end his stellar 21-year career with the team who he spent seven years with.

But, his retirement tour didn’t go as expected, with Los Angeles opting to part ways with the 40-year-old midway through a five-game road trip out on the East Coast back in December.

Arguably one of the greatest players to never win a ring, Paul formally retired shortly after, bringing an abrupt end to his career.

Paul’s trolling of the Kawhi Leonard-led outfit went viral on social media, prompting basketball fans to join in on roasting the team.

“CP3 got the last laugh in his retirement year,” one fan posted to X, with another adding, “Glorious hate watch for CP3.”

“CP3 paying respects to the Clippers’ season like it’s already buried That’s what happens when you send a legend home mid-year. Now he’s a Warriors legend throwing dirt on the grave ,” a third wrote.

“CP3 stopped by the Clippers funeral on his way to the playoffs Billion dollar stadium, Kawhi + PG maxes, and they still got sent home early. Bro really had to make sure the body was cold before he posted this Warriors legend fr,” a fourth added.

Costly Clippers loss hands boost to OKC

The Clippers’ lost was also a hugely costly one.

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Getty

Not only did the Clippers’ season end without reaching the playoffs, but they have also handed the reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

This stems back to the Paul George-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade from 2019.

In that blockbuster deal, the Clippers traded Gigelous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari, along with four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick and two first-round pick swaps for the rights to pair George with Leonard.

As it stands, the 2026 lottery pick is currently in the No. 12 spot, with a 7.1 percent chance to move inside the top four.

However, if the Warriors beat the Suns in the final Play-In Tournament game on Friday night, then OKC’s pick will move up to No. 11, and boost their odds to 9.4 percent.

Fans also flocked to social media to weigh in.

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“I better not hear how smart the clippers front office is anymore. Tired of that bs. They cheated first of all w Kawhi and the Kawhi deal has been a disaster as it hasn’t produced anything ,” one fan wrote on X.

“The team with the best season record of the NBA and getting a lottery pick is hilariously insane ,” a second added.

A third commented: “They still have pick swap with the Clippers next year too Presti with the fleece of the century.”

“Nah because the ripple effect is INSANE. One Clippers L and now the Thunder get rewarded?? Warriors really messed with the whole bracket here ,” said a fourth.

Anything can happen, though, with the Dallas Mavericks defying the odds and claiming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft despite only having a 1.8 percent chance, which they used to draft Duke standout Cooper Flagg.

But even then, the business between the Clippers and the Thunder isn’t over, because LA still owe the Thunder another pick in 2027 due to the deal they made when acquiring James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers.

OKC general manager Sam Presti has done it again, with the Thunder looking to repeat as champions before the 2026 draft lottery takes place.

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