Lakers Trade Rumors: Kobe Bryant Must Persuade L.A. to Get Steve Nash

The only way the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be worthy enough to get back to the NBA Finals is if Kobe Bryant convinces his team to make a deal for veteran point guard Steve Nash.  

Randy Hill of Fox Sports Arizona wrote about potential trade partners for Nash, and discussed a report about the Lakers landing the aging point guard. 

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Anyway, a Portland radio report—relayed by a Phoenix sports-talk radio guy—had the Lakers sending the aforementioned Fisher and Artest to the Washington Wizards, the Wiz unloading Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee on the Suns and the Suns whisking Nash to Hollywood. I suppose Phoenix also would land one of those L.A. draft picks.

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According to Ken Berger of CBSSports, Nash and his agent have not pressed for a trade. 

However, if there's a chance at playing for the Lakers, Nash needs to wise up and tell the Suns that he wants out. 

Since the point guard play has been lacking for the Lakers this year, Kobe needs to get with upper management and make them go get Nash. 

Sure, he may be 37 years old, but Nash can still play at a high level. Plus, if he's paired with Kobe, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, it will bring out the best in him. 

Derek Fisher isn't cutting it anymore, and when fully healthy, Steve Blake isn't a legitimate star capable of running the show for Los Angeles. He can contribute, but not in a way that Nash can. 

With the Lakers being two games out of first place in the Pacific Division, there isn't a major cause for concern, especially since the Clippers just lost Chauncey Billups for the year. Billups was a key reason for the Clippers' recent success, but now the team will soon suffer a setback.

Still though, the Clippers aren't the Lakers' only big competition. Kobe and company are going to make the playoffs no matter what, but if they want to win it all, the Lakers need to get Nash.

When comparing the Lakers to the other elite teams of the Western Conference, they're lacking big time in the point guard department, which is why Kobe has to push hard for L.A. to get Nash. 

If the Lakers were to acquire Nash, it would make them very intimidating. The star power on the team would greatly increase, as well as their chances of winning it all. 

Nash is a free agent after this season, and if the Suns are smart, they'll make a trade to get value in return for the veteran point guard. 

Since he's near the end of his career, Nash should want to play on a contending team. It doesn't get much better than playing with Kobe and the Lakers. 

Kobe desperately wants to win another title, but to get there, he needs to be surrounded with great talent at every position. The Lakers star might be able to do it all by himself in the regular season, but during a playoff series, he needs everyone on the team to step up. 

By having Nash on his team, Kobe knows he'll be able to count on him to run the show and not only set him up with great shots, but his teammates as well. 

If Kobe really wants to tie Michael Jordan in championships, he has to get the Lakers to bring in Nash now, as it will help separate L.A. from the rest of the pack.