When you say things like, "Hard to believe [insert player] might've played his last game for [insert team," it's not always all that hard to believe. But when Steve Nash walked off the court last night in Phoenix, it was certainly hard to believe that could've been it.

Suns fans knew it. They gave Nash three separate raucous ovations as a thank you to him for the last eight seasons. Nash is an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and at 38 years old, is running out of time to chase that championship dream.

Nash has already said the Suns need to improve for him to return opening the door that his exit was likely. But here's the thing: The Suns only have about $32 million committed to next season's roster, so there's money to spend. There are a few nice pieces in place and if the Suns could use that money to bring in some good talent, there's a chance the Suns could get back into the Western mix again. Heck, they nearly made the playoffs this season with a rag tag roster of old guys and role players.

Here's what Nash said last night after the season finale about leaving the Suns, via the Arizona Republic: "I have to sit down and really put pen to paper and first evaluate situations and then evaluate or prepare for eventualities," Nash said. "What could possibly happen in the free-agent period, the domino effect, the likelihood of so many players. It is a little tricky. I think you can prepare the best you can and catalog possibilities so you're prepared for things that can happen."

"I'll start to kind of put together a picture of what opportunities will be out there and what situations would fit me well and what situations I would add a lot to," Nash said of the next two months. "Phoenix would be one of those for sure. I think I'll take the opportunity to evaluate whatever opportunities are out there and take my time."

You can be sure Nash's heart is with the Suns. He's an incredibly loyal player to both the organization and his teammates. If it's possible for him to get what he wants with the Suns, he'll stay.

It's just that it's probably not. The Suns are transitioning into a rebuilding phase and Nash is running out of time. A mutual breakup is likely on its way and sensing that last night, Suns fans did all they could do. A worthy gesture, and one absolutely deserving for the best player in their franchise's history.