The trade rumors surrounding Chris Paul are intensifying, with multiple teams reportedly showing serious interest in acquiring him.

LAS VEGAS — Chris Paul officially becomes trade eligible on Monday. Paul, who had returned to the Clippers on a one-year deal for what he says is his last NBA season, has been away from the team since Dec. 3 after they decided to cut ties with him amid reported friction with coaches and executives.

As Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors explained, Dec. 15 is the day 79 players who signed as free agents this past offseason are eligible to be traded.

Chris Paul is in attendance at the NBA cup contest between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, is this a sign?

Paul confirmed the move on an Instagram Story, saying the team had sent him home from Atlanta — where the Clippers were to play the Hawks Wednesday night — back to Los Angeles. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank confirmed the move to ESPN.

Josh Hart, Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson are all valued rotational pieces in the back court, but none of them are reliably or consistently looking to keep their teammates fed. And though Tyler Kolek has quietly earned steady appearances in the rotation, he's far from ready from contributing to competitive hoops.

The handful of teams with some interest in CP3 would rather wait until the Clippers buy him out and sign him as a free agent.