Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Reasons to not pursue Chris Paul this offseason

– Huge Contract

While Paul might be having a good season, one of the main reasons why the Rockets traded him along with future assets to the Thunder was because of his contract. On a per-year basis, Paul is making just under $40 million per season at the age of 34.

This makes him the seventh highest-paid player per year in the NBA, as only Damian Lillard, John Wall, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Stephen Curry are making more per year than him.

Of those players, arguably only Wall has a worse contract than Paul because he has been injured. Compared to the rest of the list, Paul is the oldest of the bunch, and the least productive. Even though Paul is still playing at a high level, he isn’t playing like a Top-10 player in the NBA, which makes his contract too large.

Paul still has a couple of years left on his deal, which could be interesting years if he sees a dip in his production. At this age, losing a little bit seems likely for Paul, and if that’s the case, it could hurt a team’s cap flexibility. Father time usually catches up to players, and Paul is certainly right at the age when it does.