Chris Paul to Spurs: Pau Gasol has to opt out of Player Option for point guard to join San Antonio

The Chris Paul to San Antonio Spurs chatter picked up steam soon after the Los Angeles Clippers suffered yet another first-round exit in the playoffs last month. And while there is reportedly "mutual interest" between the two parties, the Spurs don't have the salary cap flexibility to offer Paul a maximum-level contract.

Gasol has a Player Option worth $US16 million (AU$21 million) for the 2017-18 season. If the veteran Spaniard opts into the second year of his US$31 million (AU$41 million) contract, the Spurs will have less than US$10 million ($AU13 million) to spend in free agency (assuming that Dewayne Dedmon and David Lee pick up their Player Options).

The Spurs would need Gasol to opt out of his contract in order to clear approximately US$25 million (AU$33 million) in cap space for the 2017-18 season. It's worth noting that several other teams would be able to max out Paul with four-year contracts at 35 percent of the salary-cap, a luxury that the Spurs don't have. The Clippers are still in the driver's seat, they can offer Paul a five-year contract in excess of US$210 million (AU$273 million).

Chris Paul free agency: What can the Spurs offer point guard?

If Paul decides to go "ring chasing," he could leave approximately approximately US$30 million (AU$39 million) on the table by deciding to bolt from the Clippers. The Spurs could offer him a four-year contract worth $US100 million (AU$134 million). Granted, that would be a lot lesser than what rival suitors can offer Paul, the point guard could be tempted to join forces with Kawhi Leonard, Gregg Popovich and LaMarcus Aldridge with hopes of ending the Golden State Warriors' dominance in the West.

According to ESPN insider Zach Lowe, the Chris Paul to Spurs chatter is for real. "There's been a lot of rumblings about Chris Paul, and I think that's real. I think there's mutual interest there. I don't know how real it is given the Clippers can offer a gigantic amount of money and are also a really good team; and the Spurs, like I said, have no sort of cap flexibility to get there. I'm very curious about what they do this summer and who's on the team next year," Lowe said on Kevin Arnovitz's podcast on Tuesday. (Listen Here)

Paul faces the tough question this summer. ESPN breaks it down:"Will he choose to opt out of his contract and head to San Antonio in hopes of being on a championship-calibre team? Or, will he stay put and continue to be one of the NBA's most decorated players without the most coveted decoration of all -- a championship ring?"

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly trying to pull off a Carmelo Anthony trade this offseason. If that trade were to go down, Chris Paul is expected to stay put in Los Angeles and hope to end the team's postseason woes. The Clippers front office also has to contend with the free agency of Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick. Stay tuned for the latest news and updates surrounding the 2017 NBA Free Agency.