Lue says reports he wasn't speaking with CP3 'ain't true'

Tyronn Lue shot down rumors that he wasn't on speaking terms with Chris Paul before the Los Angeles Clippers removed the guard from the team last week.

"That ain't true. We were talking. How he gonna play and I'm not talking to him?" the Clippers head coach told reporters Tuesday, according to Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated. "There was a stretch when we said he wasn't going to play, he was going to be out of the rotation, and it was tough for him because he's a competitor and what the game means to him and what he brings every single day.

"After that it wasn't really much."

Lue, 48, added that he wasn't present when Clippers president Lawrence Frank told Paul he was being sent home while the team was on the road. He also revealed that Clippers players weren't happy with the decision.

"It's their teammate, the guy they go to war with every single day. He was part of us," the head coach said. "It's tough. The organization, Lawrence, made the decision to do it. But we got to move on. We got to try to win some games.

"I don't think the mood changed because Chris is gone. Nobody wanted to see him go like that. Nothing changed, we just got to win games."

Paul reportedly requested a meeting with Lue to address alleged complaints that he had become a negative presence on the team. Lue apparently refused that request, and the two reportedly didn't speak for weeks. Lue, who said last week that the Clippers weren't a "good fit" for the 12-time All-Star, confirmed Tuesday that he hasn't spoken to Paul since he was cut.

Paul had allegedly complained about Clippers coaches, players, and the front office this season.

In one incident involving the coaching staff, assistant Jeff Van Gundy warned Paul on a flight that he didn't have "leeway" to change the team's defensive tactics, Prime Video's Chris Haynes reported. Van Gundy was reportedly upset that Paul advised Kawhi Leonard to switch off Klay Thompson late in Los Angeles' 133-127 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 29. Paul subsequently posted a screenshot of the definition of "leeway" to social media.

Days after being dismissed, Paul admitted that he was "still scarred" by the sudden decision to end his second stint with the Clippers after four months. However, the 40-year-old, who was widely expected to retire after the campaign, says he's now more relaxed after getting to spend time with his family.

"I'm actually at peace with everything," Paul told People's Jordan Greene. "More than anything, I'm excited about being around and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next. ... The game has been amazing to me and my family."