Why Signing with a Contender Isn't a Priority for Steve Nash

In an era in which building a foundation has been replaced by settling for the easier route to glory, it appears we have one who believes in the glory of the process. That one just so happens to be 38-year-old active legend Steve Nash.

While Deron Williams has stolen the headlines, the millenium's best assist man brings some value of his own. Nash has reached four Conference Finals and nearly led the talent-depleted Phoenix Suns to the postseason. By nearly, of course, I'm talking about their eliminating loss in the second-to-last game of the season.

This leaves any and every team intrigued by the possibility of bringing in the crafty veteran who has maintained his elite status.

The question on everyone's minds, however, will be where will Nash opt to go?

Quietly but surely, three teams have emerged as finalists. One of those teams just so happens to be the bottom-of-the-East, defense-heavy Toronto Raptors; a team from Nash's motherland of Canada.

For those who doubt Nash's return to his home country, an anonymous NBA personnel executive offers a counter to that perspective. They believe that Nash to Toronto has actually gained traction.

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"I've been hearing that from people that would know," said one Western Conference sharpie, sounding very much like the rest of us. "The Raptors may not be ready to win right away, but with (Andrea) Bargnani, (DeMar) DeRozan and maybe (Jonas) Valanciunas coming over next season, they could be pretty decent right away with Nash. And they could have enough cap space to get something done there."

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On the contrary, Nash could remain in America. Randy Hill goes on to acknowledge the fact that the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers are the other two finalists for Nash's services. The issue on everyone's mind, of course, is which team could actually do enough to land 16-year veteran?

The question we should be asking, however, is why is it that Nash has overlooked an opportunity to win a title?

When you weigh the rosters and situations each team present to Nash, the answer becomes rather clear. Nash has a situation he's familiar with in Phoenix, where he's spent the past seven seasons. He's also the franchise player and aids the development of the young guns around him. As a facilitator, it gets no better than that.

As for Portland, the Trail Blazers have long been a team on the cusp of glory. LaMarcus Aldridge is one of the top five power forwards in the game, while Wesley Matthews and Nic Batum make up one of the more promising young perimeter tandems.

With two draft picks within the Top-11, the group of weapons that Portland could possess becomes all the more attractive.

Arriving at Toronto, it's not hard to see why this deal could get done. Nash is a Canadian citizen who was recently named General Manager of the Canadian national team. The desire to return home, thus playing with promising players such as star scorer Andrea Bargnani and freak athlete DeMar DeRozan could be enough to sway him.

Jonas Valanciunas just puts the icing on the cake.

So could it be? Will Steve Nash really sign with a team that can't hope to guarantee his first NBA championship? If the list is true, Nash may just be in another rebuilding process.

A process that he will help speed along in no time at all.