Chris Paul sounds like he’ll be a Clipper next year, but Bledsoe will not

Nobody expects Chris Paul to leave the Clippers.

It will become a sports talk radio thing in some cities as we move closer to July 1 when he becomes a free agent, but everybody knows he’s going to re-sign with the Clippers. He may ask for changes around the organization to go with his new max contract, but he not leaving.

Don’t take my word for it, look at this quote he gives to ESPNLosAngeles.com where Paul talks about being “here” next year but backup point guard Eric Bledsoe won’t be.

“Bled is one of the best guards in our league,” Paul said after practice Sunday. “I’ve said it all season long. I’m enjoying playing with him right now because there’s no way he can be here next year because we probably won’t have enough money to pay him. He should be a starting point guard in this league next year.”

Bledsoe likely will be gone. The Clippers got a lot of offers for him at the trade deadline as teams realize he’s a quality point guard (scored 8.9 points per game, shot 39.7 percent from three, and he can pass), but the Clippers didn’t want to move Bledsoe until they had a new deal for Paul inked. He’s the insurance policy, and a guy they could use during this playoff run.

But read the tone of that quote again and you see that Paul has every intention of staying with the Clippers.

Which means Bledsoe will be on the block before the ink on CP3’s new contract is dry.