Chris Paul's next destination should be retirement if unreasonable rumors are true

Chris Paul has played in the NBA for 20 years, and he's had an illustrious career, but it's time to hang it up. Almost a week past the start of free agency, the 40-year-old point guard is still without a team, and it's reportedly because he wants to start for whoever he signs with. That's just unreasonable at this age. If he won't be satisfied with a bench role, it's time to move on.

Playoff teams don't need Chris Paul to start

Paul played in all 82 games last year, so I'm sure he has something left in the tank, but it's not enough to justify displacing a younger guard who can contribute more consistently. CP3 averaged eight points and seven assists for the Spurs, but the teams he's considering joining are trying to make deep playoff runs.

San Antonio wasn't in that position. A good mentor was needed for such a young ball club. The Clippers don't need that and neither do the Phoenix Suns or the Milwaukee Bucks. CP has been linked to all three of those teams recently. The Bucks are a new development. The opportunity to play next to Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely very enticing.

Originally, reports indicated the former Warrior was insistent on heading back to the West Coast to be closer to his family. That was before the "determined to start" news came out. That desire would, understandably, put any decisions on hold while the teams consider whether that's something they truly want to happen. They shouldn't.

Sure, the Suns weren't a playoff team last season, so any reasonable observer knows that they're far away from contending, especially in a brutal Western Conference. But that's not what they believe, nor should they. Phoenix doesn't have any of their own picks in the coming drafts, so they can't afford to tank. Retooling around Devin Booker for another run is their only real option.

Paul wouldn't help them in the quest as much as they would need with a starting role. He'd get picked on by all the best teams, making him a liability on defense. At this stage of his career, his offense is fleeting. He would be perfect off the bench. As a starter, he'd compromise your chances of reaching the ultimate goal.

What is he going to do in a high-stakes series against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, the defensive intensity of the Rockets, or when Luka Doncic hunts him? It's exactly why the Bucks can't agree to it either. If they're trying to get Giannis to stay, adding a 40-year-old Chris Paul to the starting lineup after losing Damian Lillard would probably do the opposite.

It's understandable why he wouldn't want to go to a bottom-feeder, but the teams with postseason aspirations need someone a little more dynamic in their starting lineup. If he can't see that, maybe he should just move on.