Chris Paul is not only going to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, but he will also wear his familiar No. 3 jersey

Basketball Operations President Lawrence Frank said the great defender of the Los Angeles era continues to wear the only jersey number he has worn in 20 years. Bradley Beal, who also only wore No. 3 in his NBA career with the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns, offered to hand over the jersey number to Paul and will decide his jersey number later.

"He wore a No. 3 jersey throughout his NBA career," Frank said of Bill on Tuesday. "Three All-Star appearances. I think he scored over 17,000 points on the No. 3 jersey. But he also knows what that jersey means to Chris, he is called "CP3" for a reason, and knows what it means to Chris return to the Clippers. Bill volunteered to give his number to Chris. Paul gained respect, and the new Clippers lineup took off in place and made himself the first tier of the Western Conference. "Bill heard that Chris might come and he said, 'I want to give him my number. ’ I don’t even think Chris knows about it. Bill made such a great gesture and it was amazing to have Paul. We are the first tier of the West”

Paul, now 40, will return to his team who has played for six seasons since 2011-17. He is still the leader in assists and steals per game. But after his second time with the Clippers, his role will be different. Paul started 1,314 of his 1,354 games for the San Antonio Spurs and started in 82 games last season, with his main role as a substitute.

Frank said: "Chris sometimes plays a lot at night, sometimes not at night. "Chris is excited to be here and be part of the team, help lead the team and play when needed.

"...Chris started 82 games last year and was a very, very efficient player. So when you play different roles, we don't take it lightly. So there's a lot of conversations, you put everything on the table and make everyone feel comfortable. But in fact, Chris wants to come back, want to stay home, want to be with the Clippers, we obviously know his skills, but also want to make sure that the role is completely reasonable from both sides' perspectives."

Paul Harden Bill's little card combination is worth looking forward to, the league's most experienced lineup

Frank said the Clippers consulted James Harden -- who worked with Paul in Houston for two seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19 -- and Kawhi Leonard's question about joining Paul.

Clippers start: Zubac, Harden, Bill, Collins, Leonard

Substitutes: Paul, Bogdan, Jones Jr., Batum, Lopez

Paul's signing completed an active offseason for the Clippers. Los Angeles and Harden have reached a new two-year contract. After Bill was bought out by the Suns, the Clippers signed him. They added power forward John Collins to the deal, sending Norman Powell to Miami. They added Brooke Lopez to the free agent market.

"They did talk," Frank said of Harden and Paul's reunion, "When I talked to James and Kawhi, both said that CP was the best person for the role." I think James just wanted to win. Apparently Chris played with him in Houston and was one game away from reaching the NBA Finals.

"James and Chris were talking about how few people saw the court like he did, the leadership skills he brought, the competitiveness and his daily work ethics and approach. He thought Chris was perfect for the team.