NBA Trade Rumors: Steve Nash Keeps Refusing What's Best for His Career

It's respectable what Steve Nash is doing, saying that he wants to stay with the Phoenix Suns, but he knows as well as anybody that he's not going to win a championship with this team.

The Arizona Republic reported on Friday that "Nash keeps repeating that he wants to stay with the Suns this season for better or worse."

And it could mean that one of the greatest point guards of this era, and any era, will end his career without a title.

Nash, a seven-time All-Star and two-time MVP, is 37 years old now. He's not going to be around much longer.

It's obvious he has a certain level of respect for the Suns organization, which is why he will unlikely spurn the Suns in free agency in 2012. If he had any notion of leaving the Suns, he would tell management so that they could get something in exchange for him before he's whisked away.

I admire superstars staying true to their organizations as much as anyone, but there comes a point when the franchise simply hasn't signed enough worthy players to keep a superstar around.

Superstars are made to win championships. In some cases, it defines their legacies.

That's why it's so sad to see what has become of Nash in Phoenix, a player any contending team would love to have who doesn't seem to grasp his situation.

Last season, on a 40-42 team devoid of much talent, Nash, at 36 years of age, averaged 11.4 assists. That right there should tell you what kind of player he is.

He's always been an incredibly unselfish player, and it's about time we started wondering if it comes at his detriment.

Nash's stance with Phoenix is fairly predictable. You only have to look at his career field-goal percentage and how many shot attempts he puts up a game to understand his unselfish demeanor can actually hurt him.

Nash has shot 48.5 percent for his career. But he's averaged 14.6 points per game in his career. He's a pass-first player, which has made him a future Hall of Famer, but you have to wonder if he could do more damage shooting more on this Suns team.

Nash deserves a championship, but he's his worst enemy.