NBA Offseason 2012: Steve Nash to Lakers, Are Josh Smith and Dwight Howard Next?

Reports out of ESPN are surfacing that Steve Nash has been traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Los Angeles Lakers for the trade exception they got in the Lamar Odom deal and draft picks. We in Lakerland are absolutely stoked. The only pertinent question is, does it equal a championship for the Lakers? 

The answer is, at this point, a big maybe. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs aren't going anywhere, and will be largely the same beasts they were last season. However, the Nash trade would signify that Mitch Kupchak and company are very serious about not wasting the remaining years that Kobe Bryant has left.

Some may question the logic of trading for a 38-year-old point guard when you need to get younger like the Lakers, but the Lakers' title fortunes are tied to Kobe Bryant, plain and simple. Nash and Bryant both probably have the same amount of years left in their careers.

There are many benefits to having Nash around.

He loves to run the ball, and would help us keep up with Oklahoma City by being that run-and-gun facilitator we need. He makes everyone around him better. I'm pretty sure Amar'e Stoudemire still owes him a cut from the max deal he signed with New York. Same with Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Channing Frye and every other average-to-downright mediocre player Nash has made into a serviceable player in NBA fantasy.  

At one point, Steve Nash admitted it would be "difficult to put on a Lakers jersey," according to an interview he had with ESPN New York. However, it all comes down to the one thing Kobe and Nash both have in common: their pursuit of a title. No one deserves a ring more than Nash, and no one wants one more than Kobe Bryant. 

There were rumours that the Lakers wanted to trade for Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks, but those talks died due to the fact that Los Angeles wanted another major piece in the deal. I think the Lakers would be brain-dead to not call up Danny Ferry and offer Pau Gasol for Smith, straight up.

Steve Nash to Smith on alley-oops? Are we sure the Clippers are the team in Los Angeles that should be dubbed "Lob City" if this happens? What if the Lakers just went for broke and gave the Orlando Magic what they wanted all along, which is Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard?

This could easily happen, Lakers fans. I say easily and not a complete done deal, because you never know what David Stern might pull.

I've been on record as saying we don't need Dwight Howard, because I think he'd choose to leave after one season and sulk while he was here.

Now we're looking at a situation where Josh Smith wants out of Atlanta, and the Hawks want Pau Gasol for him. Dwight Howard wants out of Orlando, and the Magic has said it wants Andrew Bynum for him.

I didn't want sulking Dwight Howard—but I do want a happy, motivated Dwight Howard playing with the most creative offensive point guard around, with the best clutch 2-guard in the NBA and his best friend, who's perfect for the run-and-gun offense Nash loves to run. 

Hold your breath, Los Angeles. We could be looking at another return to supremacy for the Lakers.