Steve Nash Rumors: Evaluating All-Star Free Agent's Best Options

The minute free agency began at midnight on July 1, Bill Duffy's phone has been ringing off the hook.

According to the New York Post, the agent and his client, Steve Nash, were dining at the Aurora restaurant in Manhattan when the clock struck 12 and free agency officially began late on Saturday night. Ever since, they've been fielding offers from the Nets, the Raptors, the Knicks and more.

Here's a look at the best options for the two-time league MVP as he enters free agency.

Phoenix Suns
Chances: Bad

There's little to no chance that Nash returns to the team with which he's spent the last eight seasons, 10 total. That was clear even before the Suns drafted Kendall Marshall on Thursday, the player who now seems to be their point guard of the future.

Nash has never won an NBA championship, and Phoenix certainly doesn't seem like the place he's going to do it before he retires. The Suns have missed the playoffs for three of the last four years and currently rank 21st in home attendance.

At 38, Nash will likely be signing what will be his final NBA contract, and despite the fact that the Suns might be able to pay him, they can't offer him the opportunity to win—nor do they seem to be willing to give him the third year he desperately desires, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. 

As a result, they're all but officially out of the running.

New York Knicks
Chances: Bad-ish

After the Knicks met with Nash for three hours on Sunday, a source told the Post's Marc Berman that the team had "a little shot" at landing the eight-time All-Star. Their chances aren't as bleak as those of the Suns, but that certainly doesn't mean they're good.

New York can offer Nash about $8 million per year via a sign-and-trade scenario, but that's still not as much as a team like the Raptors would be able to offer.

On the positive side, though, Nash does currently make his offseason home in the West Village, and the Knicks—more than any other team that is seriously pursuing Nash at the moment—can offer him the opportunity to win a title before he retires.

But that's still a big long shot, given the offseason pushes teams like the Nets and Celtics are expected to make. The Knicks are going to need a miracle in the form of an undiscovered pot of gold to convince Nash to sign.

Brooklyn Nets
Chances: Slightly Below Decent

Though Nash recently told Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears that the Knicks are a more appealing option than the Nets, the Nets would hypothetically have the cap space to obtain both Nash and marquee free agent Deron Williams.

But what that means for Nash's role on the Nets is another story.

The Nets have welcomed the idea of Nash and D-Will playing together, according to Spears, but does Nash want to play second fiddle to anybody? Williams is widely considered to be the best free agent point guard on the market and has cemented a solid role for himself with the Nets over parts of the last two seasons.

On the other hand, if Williams stayed and the Nets managed to reel in Nash, they might be one of the most competitive teams in Nash's pool. Not only can they compete, they can offer Nash the kind of money he will consider to be worthwhile. On top of that, current Nets coach Avery Johnson is Nash's former teammate.

This would be a good option for Nash, if there weren't so many ifs. Unfortunately, there are.

Dallas Mavericks
Chances: Decent

Like the case with the Nets, there are a lot of ifs involved in Nash's chances of joining the Mavericks.

If Dallas is unable to sign Deron Williams, this is a realistic option for Nash, who played with the Mavericks from 1998 to 2004. According to the Star-Telegram's Dwain Price, Nash is a key component of the Mavs' backup plan if Williams chooses to stay with the Nets.

During that six-year period in Dallas, Nash played with Dirk Nowitzki, who told Price that he's been in communication with Nash and thinks the Mavs would be a good option for his former teammate if D-Will ends up elsewhere:

"

I think just like in the summer of 2010 when LeBron [James] was kind of the first piece of domino to fall and then everybody kind of went after that, I think it's going to be the same this year. I think people are going to try to pursue D-Will in our case and then once he decides where he's going, I think then you can make some other decisions—if you go for Nash.

"

The Mavs would have the requisite funds to lure in Nash, and after winning the NBA title in 2011, they are—at the moment—his most competitive possible option. This could be a good fit for Nash, but it all depends on Williams.

Toronto Raptors
Chances: The Front-Runners

The Raptors seem to be the most serious about Nash, and Nash—for a variety of reasons—seems to be the most serious about them as well.

For one thing, there's the money.

The Raptors, thus far, have reportedly offered him the most lucrative deal, worth $36 million over three years, according to Stein. As we know, that third year seems to be a deal-breaker for Nash, and the Raptors are one of the only teams willing and able to give it to him.

Then, there's the fact that Nash is a Canadian citizen who recently was named the general manager of the Canadian men's basketball team. There's even a rumor—according to SI.coms Sam Amick—that the Raptors could be willing to offer Nash a post-career front-office position if he signs with them.

The one thing the Raptors can't offer Nash is a chance to win a title—but that doesn't seem to be as big of an issue for him as getting the kind of lucrative contract he feels he deserves. He told the Post:

"

I definitely feel I want to be validated monetarily to an extent. It’s still very important. I think money in many ways represents respect. For example, if you sign with a team and take half or less money, six months later, they trade you. It isn’t everything but it is important and will be one of the factors involved.

"

Toronto may not be able to give Nash a title—at least not while he's on the court—but it can give him the chance to play for his home country, an interesting post-career offer and, most importantly, money.

Unless D-Will makes a very fast decision to stick around with the Nets, this seems to be Nash's most likely destination.