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Following the news that the Clippers sent Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets, we may have one reason why the All-NBA point guard decided to leave L.A.: according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the Clippers were not prepared to offer Paul the full maximum salary.
Big Detail: The Clippers had not yet committed to give Chris Paul the full five-year max contract of $201 million.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2017
There was still strong internal debate on whether the team should pay $45 million in the final year of a deal to a 37-year-old player.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2017
Paul’s NBA experience and tenure with the Clippers made him eligible for a 5-year, $201 million contract. Most notably, for the now 32-year-old guard, such a deal would have paid him $40 million in 2020, $43 million in 2021, and $46 million in 2022 (when he will be 37 years old). The Clippers were reportedly opposed to the steep price tag to retain an aging Paul, which led him to find a new suitor. By opting in to the final year of his contract and allowing the Clippers to trade him, he can now re-sign for the same 5-year deal next summer with the Rockets.