Three-team trade involving the Clippers, Nets, and Raptors! Paul will not head to Toronto and is expected to be waived to join another team.

On February 5th Beijing time, insider Shams reported that the Clippers, Nets, and Raptors finalized a three-team trade concerning Paul. The details are as follows —

Nets receive: Abaki, Raptors' 2032 second-round draft pick, and $3.5 million in cash

Raptors receive: Paul

Clippers receive: Marinkovic's signing rights

The Raptors will not ask Paul to join the team and may continue to negotiate trades involving him over the next day. Later, insider Hayes reported that the Raptors are expected to waive Paul.

The Toronto Raptors no longer have to pay luxury tax. The Brooklyn Nets gained an asset and cash to cover Abaki’s salary. The Clippers freed up a roster spot and saved $7 million in luxury tax.

As early as early December last year, the Clippers had clearly excluded Paul from their plans and moved to part ways with him. Paul himself announced in November that he plans to officially retire after the 2025-26 season. However, he has continued training, hoping to extend his career.

Salary cap expert Marks said that through this Paul trade, the Clippers can now keep their total salary under the first luxury tax threshold, gaining operational flexibility to convert Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller’s two-way contracts into standard deals. Currently, the Clippers have two open roster spots.

The Nets originally had up to $15 million in salary cap space, enough to absorb Abaki’s expiring contract worth $6.4 million. The Nets can also choose to use their cap space in a separate deal to sign Abaki under the mid-level exception valued at $8.8 million. This trade also helped the Raptors successfully keep their total salary below the luxury tax threshold.