Chris Paul: 'No Chance' I'd Opt Out of $44.2M Thunder Contract to Help a Trade

If Chris Paul plays for a championship contender in the next three years, it will not be coming at a discount.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard says he has no intention of opting out of the $44.2 million he's due in 2021-22 to facilitate any future trades.

“No chance. That's not happening. Nope," Paul told Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated.

The 34-year-old has a player option for the final season of the four-year, $159.7 million deal he signed with the Houston Rockets in 2018. His contract has been viewed as the biggest roadblock the Thunder face in finding a new home for the future Hall of Famer, who was essentially acquired to later be flipped for more assets as the franchise rebuilds.

The rebuild won't be happening this season, as Paul and a group of solid veterans (and Paul mentee Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) have the Thunder essentially locked into a playoff spot. They enter Tuesday night as the No. 7 seed with a 25-19 record and a five-game advantage over ninth-seeded San Antonio Spurs. 

Oklahoma City's best chance at trading Paul could be this summer. There is a limited crop of top free agents, especially considering Anthony Davis is all but certain to re-sign with the Lakers. With Paul continuing to play at an All-Star level (his 5.7 win shares rank 12th in the league) and showing his continued hard-headed will to win, opposing teams could see him as a more viable option than they did last summer. The point guard is averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. 

The Thunder are too competitive for a full-scale rebuild, which would be in the best long-term interest of the franchise after trading Russell Westbrook and Paul George for a treasure trove of picks this summer. But aside from Danilo Gallinari and Nerlens Noel, every major contributor on this roster is under contract for 2020-21.

Hence the only avenue for a more immediate teardown is trading the likes of Paul, Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder. Adams and Schroder are more palatable trade chips given their relative youth and contracts that expire after the 2020-21 season. The Thunder would have no trouble finding takers this summer. 

If a team doesn't roll the dice on paying a 36-year-old Paul $44.2 million, it's possible he'll wind up playing out the waning years of his career competing for pingpong balls rather than championships.