UPDATE: 10:37am AEST – Reports circulating Nash has done a sign & trade and will be sent to the Lakers.
In the Nash sign-and-trade, the Suns will get 2013 & 2015 first-round picks and 2013 & 2014 second-round picks.
While it may not be the circus that Dwight Howard created with his trade request, the Steve Nash trade talk, rumor mill and hear say could certainly be compared with a Merry-Go-Around.
Since Free Agency opened 5 days ago and teams were once again given the green light to talk trades with each other, the question of where Steve Nash, a 2 time MVP and perennial All Star will end up has been a favorite topic among fans online and NBA Journalists.
We all knew that Steve Nash was as good as gone from the Suns. A team he had given 12 All Star quality years to (he also spent 7 season with the Dallas Mavericks), but where will he end up? That’s the sticking point.
4 teams have been chasing Steve Nash in the last week. Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks have all come out and openly expressed their interest in signing Nash for his twilight years. 3 of those teams are contenders and can offer Nash that sparkling carrot he desires…a possible championship. One might expect this an easy decision then, but then you would be forgetting one key aspect of all of this. Steve Nash is Canadian.
The Toronto Raptors are the only Canadian team playing in the NBA. Since their inaugural season in 1995, the Raptors have never really been able to stamp any sort of authority on the game. In their 17 years, the Raptors have been to the playoff only 5 times, making it out of the first round just once. This record is certainly not what they are using to entice a player like Nash. Steve Nash isn’t going to win a championship if he goes to the Raptors. But he will win the love and respect of an entire country.
If Nash chooses Toronto, he will become the face of the franchise and a national hero. He will be remembered as the guy who put country and pride before a ring.
A quick breakdown of what each team can offer Nash:
TORONTO – National Hero, the face of the franchise and the chance to leave a lasting legacy with a team that desperately needs him. Oh, and a 3 year $36Mil offer. No other team can really offer him this sort of money and there is a big chance that Nash will be in a Raptors jersey soon
NYK – The starting Point Guard. A chance to tame the beasts and bring some cohesion to a team with 2 stars in desperate need of a general, and most importantly, a shot at the title. Nash also lives in New York City, so he wouldn’t have to move far. If it’s not going to be Toronto for Nash, I can’t see him going any other than the Knicks.
LA LAKERS – The starting PG spot. The opportunity to play with Kobe and a quality young center in Bynum. A shot at a title and, um…the chance to play with Kobe??? Honestly I don’t see this happening. It would be great for the Lakers, but Nash has consistently battled the Lakers for 17 years now. You could say that the Lakers are his grand nemesis and I doubt he could swallow his pride and pull on the purple and gold.
DALLAS MAVERICKS – Starting PG, a chance to team up with best mate Dirk Nowitzki and help develop and rebuild the franchise. I feel though that Steve Nash has already been there, done that with Dallas and whilst a return to the Mavs would be a coup, it would only be for Dallas. Nash’s eyes are elsewhere.
We are 5 days into Free Agency and Trade and all thought the Nash debate would be quickly settled, but it’s sticking around. However, it’s getting very close to wrapping up.
Over night (Australian time) it was reported that Nash has decided, and he wanted the Knicks, leaving his country men and the Raptors to ponder what could have been. The Raptors GM even went on record to say “We gave it out best shot”. But all is not as it seems and no official announcement has been made by anyone. Game is still very much on.
Deep breath now everyone…
NBA Nation Australia will keep you all updated as news comes to hand on the Merry-Go-Round that is the Steve Nash saga. Keep an eye on @nbanationoz for all breaking news and we will update the website once Nash tells us what he wants to do.
