Chooses to play with tops (4)
I believe the answer is:
opts
'chooses' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'play with tops' is the wordplay.
'play with' is an anagram indicator (I've seen 'plays with' mean this (I've seen this in other clues)).
'tops' with letters rearranged gives 'OPTS'.
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for opts that I've seen before include "Makes choice from post" , "Selects between alternatives" , "Chooses from a range of possibilities" , "Elects" , "Picks needed" .)