March 10, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) during a stoppage in play against the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

First and foremeost, no Los Angeles Lakers fans; you’re not getting Chris Paul. But the market for Paul going into his ninth season as NBA player. He’s as elite a point guard as they come and with probably 3-4 years left in his prime he’ll have a nice market once free agency begins. The question is where he’ll end up. Though the masses think he’ll return to the Los Angeles Clippers there are a few teams out there that could use Chris Paul’s services. Here are four teams Paul could be playing for come October:

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clips are the perennial favorites as I stated before. Coming off their best year in franchise history, the Clippers have the tools to be a contender in the league. The problem is that Vinny Del Negro is holding them back in ways unimaginable. He’ll return to a team that features Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan. This core doesn’t scream championship, but with the right person heading the ship there could be a chance. Also the Clippers can offer Paul $30 million more than anyone else in the league can. For a guard who’s had numerous knee troubles this may be his best chance to cash out and contend before his prime years are over with.

Dallas Mavericks & Atlanta Hawks

Paul could probably end up in Dallas or Atlanta if superstar Dwight Howard joins him. And if D12 does, then Dallas is a far more attractive destination than Atlanta. Dallas is a better basketball market, has an owner in Mark Cuban who’s willing to spend whatever’s necessary to win and a proven star in Dirk Nowitzki to be the third wheel. A Paul-Howard-Al Horford combination would be solid, the biggest knack on playing in the Eastern conference is that you have to go through the 4-time MVP in Lebron James just to get to the NBA Finals. Most would be better off meeting him there instead of having to go through him. Dirk has stated that he’d be willing to take a pay cut so Howard and Paul could join the team, so there’s a chance these three could be Big 3 West if the Clippers slip up and let him walk.

Houston Rockets

Would you be surprised if Daryl Morey pulls this one off? Not at all. I’m not sure how James Harden would co-exist nor am I sure that this team’s current roster + Paul is better than the current Clippers roster, so that may be problematic. But Paul/Harden would become the best backcourt in basketball and pose a threat in the Western Conference. Often the Rockets problem was that they couldn’t get anything going when Harden wasn’t being amazing. The Rockets were one piece from beating a Russell Westbrook-less Oklahoma City Thunder team and even when Westbrook was playing they kept it close. Chris Paul’s talent is good enough to push them out of the first round, but overall team depth may be a problem when it’s time to start thinking Finals.

Jan 9, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard O.J. Mayo (32) is defended by Los Angeles Clippers forward Lamar Odom (7) and guard Chris Paul (3) at the Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Mavericks 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

There are going to be nights like this. And these are the games that make champions…

The Clippers, now owners of the League’s best record and 13 straight home victories, had to scratch and claw their way out of a 10 point hole to pull out a 99-93 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. In a season full of milestones, this may have been the most important of all. Like the San Antonio Spurs fighting off an undermanned, yet determined Los Angeles Lakers on their home floor earlier that same evening, the Clippers can now expect the best effort from every team they’ll play for the next (hopefully) many years and will have to play hard against not only these feisty opponents, but themselves as well.

It would have been easy to let a game like this slip by, chalk it up to overlooking a struggling opponent, and regroup to fight another sub par team in Orlando on Saturday. Heck, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost at home to Brooklyn Nets and turned in another clunker against the New Orleans Hornets a few nights later; and the Miami Heat (obviously trying to stave off post title boredom, has dropped games against Washington and Detroit.

But that just isn’t the Clippers. Not this year. Not with this team and Chris Paul leading the way.

So when that 10 point deficit reared its ugly head in the 3rd quarter and the Clippers had to decide which way this thing was ultimately going to play out, they steadied themselves, let their bench cut the lead down to 3 on a three pointer by Matt Barnes (who hit five of them) as the 3rd quarter ended. A few minutes later, the Clippes took their first lead in the 4th at 82-80 and never looked back. Though the Mavs would continue to push, the Clippers pushed back harder and secured the victory on two huge offensive rebounds by Caron Butler as time wound down.

“In the fourth quarter, we needed to stay with the aggressiveness,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “But they turned it up and we just didn’t get it done.”

The Clippers, time and time again this season, are showing the maturity, cohesiveness, and will that is necessary to elevate themselves into position for postseason success. On night’s when the team comes out flat, doesn’t get the best performances from its stars (Blake Griffin was actually disappointed with his 15 points and 15 rebounds and Jamal Crawford only scored 11 points in 26 minutes in his return from a foot injury), and faces a proud franchise fighting to return to relevancy, the Clippers still found the temerity to notch another win.

This is what contenders do. This is what the Clippers now are.