NBA Trade Rumors: Steve Nash and Vets Who Should Demand a Deal

As the countdown clock to the NBA trade deadline nears zero, teams are scrambling to find last-minute deals to make their teams better for the playoff push or to unload salaries for free agency. Many veteran players like Steve Nash should be taking this opportunity to demand trades from their teams.

The league is full of veteran guys who just are not in good situations where they are at right now. Nash is one of them, but just one. There are many, many others that need a change of scenery and should request one.

Here are some of those veteran players that could better utilize their skills in other places.

Steve Nash

Steve Nash may be 38 years old, but the man can still play ball.

He's averaging 13 points and 11 assists for the Phoenix Suns, who are just three games out of a playoff spot in the West. So why should he demand a trade?

He should do so because this team isn't going anywhere. Sure, they may back into a playoffs spot, but they'll be dispatched easily by either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs.

Nash needs to be competing for a championship. He's too good to waste away in Phoenix. I know he loves it in Phoenix, but it's time to move on.

Ray Allen

Ray Allen is a very good three-point shooter, the best in NBA history in fact. Yet the 36-year-old is shooting the best three-point percentage of his career this season at 48 percent.

It has been rumored for a while that Allen might be on the trading block, and it will be interesting to see if he is dealt.

He should be asking for a trade, because unlike some of the other pieces of that aging Boston core, Allen can contribute to a contender now. The Celtics look less and less like a contender as the season goes on.

Allen should be competing for another championship. He's a good guy on and off the court who can space the floor for other players with his remarkable long-range abilities.

Josh Smith

Even though the owner of the Atlanta Hawks has dispelled any and all trade rumors involving Josh Smith, that doesn't mean he shouldn't be asking for one.

The Hawks are sixth in the East right now, and they really don't have a shot to challenge for a title. Smith could make an immediate impact on another team, especially since he averages 17.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and two blocks per game.

Smith is wasting his talent in Atlanta.

Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol has been involved in so many trade rumors it is hard to keep them all straight. The most recent buzz has been in regard to him going to the Chicago Bulls.

At any rate, he should make it easy on the Lakers and just demand a trade right now. Los Angeles is not going to challenge for the Western crown with its current team. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are too good.

Gasol should try to go somewhere else, where he can get out of what has become a tough situation for him in L.A.

Antawn Jamison

Veteran power forward Antawn Jamison doesn't expect to be traded and, apparently, doesn't want to be. He should, though.

Cleveland is a nice team that is close to the playoffs. However, Jamison is averaging 18 points and nearly seven rebounds for them as a 35-year-old big man. He won't be able to contribute like that for long, and by the time Cleveland is ready to really contend, he'll probably be too far past his prime.

He needs to be traded to a contender and should ask for it now.

Amare Stoudemire

The trade rumors are out there for Amare Stoudemire, and he should be welcoming them.

Ever since the Knicks picked up Carmelo Anthony in a deadline deal last season, Stoudemire's role has diminished into that of merely a role player. He's too talented to be relegated to that role on any team.

He should demand to get out of New York and on a team where he is valued like he should be.

Chris Kaman

Although he says he wants to stay where is, Chris Kaman should demand a trade.

Kaman is a seven-footer who can score and rebound. He's averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game, which would help many different contenders out there looking for solid post play.

New Orleans is a sinking ship that must get worse before it gets any better. Kaman needs to get out of there and get to a team that can actually do something worthwhile.

LaMarcus Aldridge

At 26 years old, LaMarcus Aldridge is very talented for his age. He's averaging 21 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 51 percent from the field for the Portland Trailblazers.

However, the Blazers have gone by the wayside. After starting out the season strong, they are now 2.5 games out of postseason contention and things aren't looking up.

Aldridge needs to get out of there while he's still young and get to a place where he can win. With all the talent that has been in Portland over the years, there is no excuse for the lack of winning.

Leandro Barbosa

Leandro Barbosa is a good player. I remember him winning Sixth Man of the Year back when he played for Phoenix, but for years now he has been buried in the NBA desert that is Toronto. It's time he reemerged.

Barbosa could once again be that spark off the bench for a playoff contender. He's averaging 12 points off the bench for Toronto right now and could do the same for a better team.

Ramon Sessions

Ramon Sessions is one of the hottest trade targets in the NBA right now, and most likely will be traded to someone by the deadline. He should want that trade.

Sessions is proving that he has the stuff to be a starter in the league, averaging 10 points and five assists per game off the bench. However, that won't happen in Cleveland thanks to a guy named Kyrie Irving.

Personally, I can't wait to see what Sessions will do when given the opportunity to start on a better team.