Paul Millsap confirmed a day after the Hawks lost to the Wizards in the first round of the NBA playoffs that he will "probably" be opting out of his contract this summer. Millsap, age 32, averaged 18 points and 7 rebounds for the Hawks last season. With Millsap heading into free agency, this leaves a lot of question marks on who should get him and who will want to.
Atlanta Hawks
Obviously, this decision could very well be so that Millsap can opt out and sign a new long-term deal with Atlanta to stay put and increased his yearly salary. This is the most probable but it wouldn't shock anyone if Millsap tested the waters for a bit and entertain who would pick him up and who would be worth it to him.
The Hawks need him badly and he still can contribute to what they are trying to build in Atlanta. They've got a couple young pieces and Millsap will be Mr. Consistent for years to come.
Miami Heat
The Heat have some soul searching to do after they narrowly missed the playoffs. One of the biggest issues was that they didn't have a real star. Hassan Whiteside and Dion Waiters both played really well all season, but they are still missing a key piece to their lineup. Paul Millsap could be the answer for them. Millsap has shown a stand-up character and would fit right into The Heat culture.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics make a lot of sense for Paul Millsap to go. From a lot of the evidence we have seen, they need one more piece to their puzzle before they really challenge to be favorites to win the NBA championship.
The Celtics can plug and play Millsap right away. He adds consistency at the 4-spot that the Celtics don't have currently and can be used in pick and pop and is a good player in any system.
Portland Trail Blazers
Imagine a lineup with Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Paul Millsap. This team could be a real threat to some of these teams out west.
Millsap would fit well with this duo because he doesn't require a lot of shots to be effective, he can help on their team defense, and he's a veteran leader that can help pave a future with this team. The combination of him and Lillard could be really valuable for both of them.
It's very early in the process to see where Paul Millsap will realistically go.
He's said he would like to go back to Atlanta, so in all reality, this will likely happen. But the way the coach and management are talking about it, they said the same things about Al Horford last season, and we all know where Al Horford went just a month later. A lot of these scenarios are unknown based off what the market is for Millsap in this Free Agent class.
