Paul Millsap undecided about free agency, per report

According to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Paul Millsap is undecided about whether or not he will opt out of the final year on his contract. Millsap is scheduled to make a little over $20 million for the 2016-2017 season, and, if he opts in for the next one, the All-Star forward will make more than $21 million for 2017-2018.

Most fans and observers expect Millsap to decline this player option, as his skill level and experience should allow him to command a max contract from potential suitors. While Millsap’s age (he will be 32 next summer) is somewhat concerning for a long-term contract, his talent should be enough to convince some general managers to take the risk.

According to Millsap himself, though, he is focused solely on this season at the moment.

Here is an excerpt from the report, which you can access here:

“I think the plan is to see how this season goes and go from there. I can’t predict what is going to happen. For me, it’s focus on basketball. Get through this year, try to get a championship for this team first of all. We’ll deal with all that during the summer time when we have all our options on the table.”

Millsap’s focus and dedication to the 2016-17 season are admirable, but there is nothing in this report that suggests he would actually choose his player option next year. It makes financial sense for a player as talented as he is to test the market for his abilities, and (barring an injury), this remains the most likely scenario.

Nonetheless, it is encouraging to see Millsap focusing on this season. There has been some fear that the trade rumors surrounding him this summer would create negativity in his relationship with the Hawks, but this does not appear to be the case so far. Millsap has always been very professional, and his comments on his contract seem to support that.