Thunder star Chris Paul won’t waive final year of his deal to be traded

Star point guard Chris Paul is in his first year with the Oklahoma City Thunder, helping navigate them into the playoff picture of the Western Conference.

However, it has brought forward questions around his future with the franchise with the expectation that he will be moved at some point. With the final year worth roughly $44 million of his four-year, $159.7 million deal, Paul voiced that he has no desire to bypass on that player option in order to join a contending team. (H/T Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk)

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“No chance. That’s not happening. Nope.”

That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise as it’s unlikely any team will pay him a deal with an annual salary around that number at age 36. There’s no guarantee that he will be able to maintain a high level of play while it’s a huge commitment to make to an aging player.

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It’s no shot at Paul, but he’s in the backend of his career, and no team will dump that type of money on him. That could limit him from being able to play for a contending team if he’s still playing with the Thunder. In truth, it’s his contract that has kept him from being moved given the huge financial commitment it would take to acquire him.

A trade may be unlikely before the deadline next month, but things could change over the offseason. Only time will tell if Paul will get another chance to compete for an NBA title.