Report: Chris Paul verbally agrees to remain with the Clippers

The Clippers have decided to get ahead of the game and reportedly have a verbal agreement with superstar Chris Paul to a new $200 million contract.

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported that Chris Paul plans to opt out of his deal after this season so he can ink a new deal north of $200 million.

The deal wouldn’t be finalized until July due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. That is almost five months and some change away, leaving plenty of time for this deal to fall through.

One of the most important aspects of this deal would be the clarity that this could bring to the organization. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick all are slated to become free agents this summer. After missing out on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes and constantly falling short of the Western Conference Finals, the Clippers needed to be decisive in deciding which direction they wanted to take this offseason.

It’s a big commitment to the soon-to-be 32-year-old point guard that has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons. Still, Paul has shown no signs of slowing down on the court, averaging 17.5 points and 9.7 assists this season.

If the Clippers can re-sign all three of their stars, they have to start looking at ways to get some depth on their bench and a decent small forward, two things that have eluded that team for a long time.

Next: NBA 1980s All-Decade First Team

The way the Warriors are looking, Durant and Curry aren’t leaving anytime soon, the Spurs will likely find the next Tim Duncan with their 29th overall selection in the draft, and Cleveland will still be at the top of the East next year.

This core can win, as evidenced by their opening round, seven-game victories against the Warriors in 2013-2014 and the defending-champion Spurs in 2014-2015. They have had some bad luck as of late, but it only takes one year where they go into the playoffs healthy and hot.