Hawks' Paul Millsap: Will opt out of contract following season

Millsap (knee) is expected to opt out of his $21.4 million player option for the 2017-18 season and become a free agent, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis:

Millsap is currently dealing with a knee injury and has missed three straight games, but that hasn't stopped him from thinking about his future plans. He's now fully expected to opt out of his player option for next year, which would make him an unrestricted free agent. According to Schefter, Millsap could eventually re-sign with the Hawks to a max five-year deal worth $207 million, or sign on to a max four-year deal worth $154 million with another team. That said, this could just be a ploy for more money, rather than indicating he's ready to move on from Atlanta. For now, he'll continue to work on his rehab with the hope of being available for Friday's game against the Bucks, with Ersan Ilyasova the main beneficiary in his absence.