NBA Rumors: Power Ranking Best Destinations for Steve Nash in Free Agency

As the trade deadline approached, many wondered if Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash would eventually come out and demand a trade.

That never happened, so instead of making a deal to get something for the two-time MVP, the Suns held onto Nash and made it clear that he would be welcome to spend the rest of his career in a Suns uniform.

For the most part, Nash has been quiet on the situation, but yesterday he came out and made it clear that he won't be back in Phoenix unless the Suns really improve their roster in an attempt to give Nash a chance at that elusive championship ring.

Nash has always shown a sense of loyalty that most professional athletes don't have these days, but he also realizes he's 38 years old and all that's missing from his resume is a ring.

He recently made the following statement on the Dan Patrick Show:

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"I definitely do want to win," he continued. "I'm not going to come back to the Suns if there isn't an improvement. If they're not ambitious and they're not looking to upgrade the roster seriously. And I think they are. They'll have a lot of flexibility in free agency. I think I've been standing pat so they could do some things this summer. I think they'll become a definite possibility for me, but I do want to win and I do want to consider all my options."

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With that being said, it's time to look at the best possible destinations for Nash, who currently leads the NBA with 11.2 APG.

8. Utah Jazz

The Jazz are a sleeper in all of this. They've made strides this season and have a very nice frontcourt already in place with Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson and are a legit point guard away from possibly being contenders in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately for them, Utah isn't the sexiest place to attract big-time free agents.

7. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers make sense, as they already have a ton of talent in place and they have cap room, which they can use to make Nash a better offer than most teams.

If they signed Nash, they would also be able to possibly ship Darren Collison out for additional pieces.

6. New York Knicks

The Knicks only make sense if Jeremy Lin leaves as a restricted free agent, but it may be something to consider if they have a chance at Nash. The other pieces around him are definitely in place.

The bad part, though, is all they would have to offer is their $5 million mid-level exception (MLE).

5. Miami Heat

ESPN's Tom Haberstroh recently asked Nash if he would consider Miami and Nash said he would definitely listen if LeBron James tried to recruit him to the Heat. But the Heat have no salary cap space next summer and Nash would have to settle for their MLE and leave millions of dollars on the table.

That's unlikely, as Nash had hinted when he initially came up in trade rumors that he wouldn't be interested in taking a pay cut this summer.

4. Orlando Magic

The Magic would have an opportunity to please Dwight Howard and bring in the guy they targeted during the trade deadline, but similar to Miami and New York, they aren't in good salary cap position and wouldn't be able to offer Nash a competitive deal.

3. Phoenix Suns

At the end of the day, Nash is loyal. He doesn't have that personality to make demands and cause commotion in the way that James or Howard have done in the past couple years.

If the Suns are able to show him they can improve the roster even a little bit, it could be hard to turn his back on the Suns organization.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

Nash would be the perfect fit in Lakerland alongside Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. The Lakers have been attempting to clear cap space this season, but unfortunately if Nash is to get paid, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak will still likely have to move Gasol.

There's also the fact that Jim Buss has been reluctant to get too much into the luxury tax and has expressed interest of financial concerns, but playing next to Kobe has to be very intriguing.

1. Dallas Mavericks

Speaking of cap space, the Mavericks could bring in Nash and give him the deal he probably wants. There's also the opportunity to reunite with best friend Dirk Nowitzki and take a run at a championship.

In addition to adding Nash, the Mavs would be in position to add talent around him as well.