NBA Trade Rumors: Sign-and-Trade for Steve Nash Would Answer All Lakers Problems

David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting that the L.A. Lakers are now pursuing Steve Nash.

The only problem with that is that the Lakers could only offer Nash a $3.09 million exception for next season, and that's quite a bit less than other teams, like the Toronto Raptors, who offered Nash a three-year deal worth $36 million, are offering to pay the veteran point guard.

Realistically, the only way the Lakers could acquire Nash is to work out a sign-and-trade with the Suns. 

A sign-and-trade makes sense for both the Lakers and the Suns, as it would ensure the Suns get something in return for Nash, and the Lakers, obviously, would be getting a point guard that could help Kobe bring the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy back to L.A.

For the Lakers, a sign-and-trade is exactly what they need because it would allow them to acquire a veteran point guard for a low cost, while also potentially ridding themselves of a few players who didn't pan out in L.A.

A sign-and-trade for Nash would start with the Lakers getting the Suns to sign Nash to a multi-year contract that would start off with Nash earning around $9 million in his first year.

That would allow the Lakers to send the Suns the $9 million trade exception they received from trading Lamar Odom last season. That would be the only way the Lakers could land Nash, because it would give Nash near the same level of compensation that other team's are offering to give him.

The Lakers would have to put together a solid package of talent for Nash though, that would most likely include next year's first-round draft pick.

Luckily, the Lakers have a few players they could offer the Suns to make this trade more enticing.

Ramon Sessions opted out of his contract with the Lakers to test free agency, but as of right now, there hasn't been a lot of interest from other teams in acquiring his talent. The Lakers though could sign him to a multi-year contract and then trade him to the Suns, which would help the Suns transition into the post-Nash era.

If the Lakers aren't interested in working out a sign-and-trade with Sessions, they could instead include Steve Blake. While that wouldn't be ideal for the Lakers, it would be a move that would clear up a bit of cap space as well.

Ideally, the Lakers would be able to include Metta World Peace and the $15 million tied up in him over the next two seasons, but the Suns reportedly aren't interested in him. The Lakers could also look at including free agents Matt Barnes and/or Jordan Hill in a trade with the Suns, as they are both talented bench players the Suns could utilize in their rotation.

While a sign-and-trade certainly makes the most sense financially for the Lakers, that's not why it would answer all of their problems. 

The main reason why a sign-and-trade for Nash would answer all of L.A.'s problems is because the end result would be Steve Nash playing alongside Kobe Bryant. It would help the Lakers create one of the most dangerous backcourt duos in the NBA.

While some will argue that Nash is too old and that he's not a piece of the Lakers' future plans, there's no doubt that he would make the Lakers a better team right now, and that's what the Lakers need to be focusing on.

Kobe isn't getting any younger, and if the Lakers want to truly utilize his talent, there's no better way to do that than to bring in a veteran point guard who can take the offensive burden off of Kobe.

If the Lakers land Nash, they will quickly become the favorite in the Western Conference and one of the top teams that could contend with the Miami Heat for the 2012-13 NBA title.

If a championship is what Kobe and the Lakers want, Steve Nash is the one man who can help them get it.