Steve Nash: Raptors Would Be Foolish to Waste Money on Star PG

It is not going out on a limb to say that Steve Nash's free agency is going to get interesting and heated between a number of teams that are trying to fill the point guard position. 

One of the most surprising teams reportedly in on Nash—though it probably shouldn't be a surprise given where it plays and all the talk during the regular season—is the Toronto Raptors. 

According to Randy Hill of Fox Sports Arizona, some people around the league believe that there might be more to the Raptors' pursuit of Nash than meets the eye. 

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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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I can appreciate what the Raptors would try to be doing by bringing Nash in—both as a show of faith that they are trying to build a winner and a simple way to sell tickets to fans who have left as the franchise has been stuck in a rut. 

However, trying to catch lightning in a bottle by building around a 38-year-old point guard who will presumably be playing on a one- or two-year deal is not conducive to long-term success. 

No one wants to hear that a team's best course of action is to suffer through another season or two of rebuilding, but Toronto is on a clear path to success, and Nash would seem to disrupt that. 

As much as the Raptors can convince people they are on the verge of contention next season, it would be false hope. They will likely be flirting with one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, where you can finish with a record under .500 and get in. 

That is not a successful season, but rather an indication that there are too many playoff spots in the NBA. 

The Raptors need to save their money right now, then go after the right free agents when they are truly on the brink of contention. That time is not now. The Raptors can easily market Nash as a Canadian coming home, sort of, to finish his career. 

But it does nothing for the Raptors on the court, nor does it put Nash any closer to getting his long-desired championship. 

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