The Milwaukee Bucks’ offseason just got a little bit more interesting. Chris Paul, a 12-time All-Star and one of the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History, and the Phoenix Suns are going to part ways this offseason. According to some reports, the Bucks are expected to be one of the teams that pursue him. The idea of pairing Giannis Antetokounmpo with one of the best passers the game has every seen is certainly tempting.
But can Milwaukee afford him? In short, the answer is yes; but it all depends on the salary that Paul will seek in free agency.
How Can the Milwaukee Bucks Afford Both Khris Middleton and Chris Paul?
In order to understand the answer to this question, there are a few things that fans need to accept:
- The most amount of cap space the Bucks will have this season is $12,221,000 (via Spotrac)
- Khris Middleton will likely be back with the team, either via his player option or a long-term extension
- Chris Paul has not made less than $15.9 million per season since his rookie contract
Keeping these things in mind, yes, it is entirely possible that the Bucks could afford to sign Paul. The caveat is that Paul would need to sign for a lot less money than he has made per season for the majority of his NBA career.
The $12,221,000 space that the Bucks have is part of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception. They can use this amount on one player or multiple players and sign players using this exception for up to four years.
Milwaukee also has the bi-annual exception worth $4,488,000. The thing is that NBA teams cannot use more than one exception per year. Therefore, it is likely that the Bucks do not use their bi-annual exception because they have more money available with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The two exceptions cannot be combined.
So how do the Bucks afford Chris Paul? To be frank, he would need to sign for a lot less than the $12,221,000 that the team has available. This is because Milwaukee does not have a full 15-man roster under contract for next season. They will need to sign more players and that $12,221,000 is all the space they have.
Now, it is possible that Middleton declines his player option (worth $40 million) and signs a multi-year extension for less money per season that $40 million. This would help free up some space, but is that something Middleton is interested in doing?
Who knows? The point is this: one of the two, Paul or Middleton, will have to take less money to play with the other.
That is the only way the two will be able to play on the Bucks together this season.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
