Chris Paul makes it crystal clear where he wants to end his career

If there is one player that Phoenix Suns fans would have liked a reunion with this season, it is point guard Chris Paul. Rumor has it that Paul was torn between returning to The Valley and the L.A. Clippers this summer, and that he only opted for the latter once it was clear that the Suns had no interest in him.

On the surface, it is not hard to see why. The Suns are rebuilding and have a host of new and young players who they need to play in order to develop. Only nobody appears to have told head coach Jordan Ott that fact, as early on he has favored giving veterans a run over rookies such as Khaman Maluach.

Paul will remain with Clippers for rest of career.

The 40-year-old gave an insightful interview to Andscape recently, and in it he all but confirmed it would be Clippers or retirement from here on out. He was also not prepared to say this was his last season either - but with his family in Los Angeles and his parents possibly moving out at some point down the road - Paul rightly doesn't want to be anywhere else.

This shouldn't be bad news for the Suns, and it says a lot about where they're at that it actually is. We are once again living through Devin Booker being the lead playmaker in The Valley this season, and the returns have not been great. He's not shooting the ball like he used to, and he is again spending too much time worrying about setting up teammates.

If the Suns could have Paul back for just one more season - even off the bench - it would be the best stop game the franchise could find before getting a long-term replacement. There's no doubt that Paul goes down as one of the most important teammates Booker has ever had, because of how aggressive and comfortable he was when the pair were together.

That was lost when Kevin Durant came to town, and Booker has so far struggled to find it once more now that this team is his again. Paul would have been able to play 20 minutes a night - and although defensively it wouldn't have been pretty - it also would have given Booker the chance to rediscover his pure scoring touch.

Instead he has been tasked with making it work alongside Jalen Green, a duo we have yet to see play together but fans hope to soon. Paul staying with the Clippers for however much longer he has left shouldn't be felt in Phoenix. Yet because of the way they have handled themselves since trading away Paul for Bradley Beal, it most certainly is.