Steve Nash Trade Rumors: Are the New York Knicks His Best Landing Spot?
Steve Nash has been the best and most recognizable (except for that Shaq run) Phoenix Suns player since arriving in AZ in 2004.
However, now that he is 36-years-old there are rumblings that he has become expendable to Suns management and the team is looking to deal him. Most people feel that the NY Knicks are the best team for Nash to go to but there are a few other interesting scenarios as well
Here are the top 10 potential destinations for all-world point guard Steve Nash.
10. Miami Heat
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Pat Riley wants LeBron James to embrace the point guard role and LeBron wants to continue being the best small forward in the universe. Why not solve both issues and pick up a point guard to replace Carlos Arroyo?
Nash would definitely excel playing with finishers like Wade and James and both players would be able to play better without the ball. Nash could also provide the outside shooting, passing and mental toughness that the Heat lack
It would take a mathematician to make this deal happen on the money end but shipping the under performing Bosh would be a start.
9. Sacramento Kings
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The Sacramento Kings have assembled a team of talented players but they are still a solid veteran away from making a difference in the tough Western Conference. Steve Nash could get them over the hump.
No disrespect to Beno Udrih or Tyreke Evans but Steve Nash would be a huge step up in the PG department over either of them. Evans is not a true point but he has put up decent numbers at the position, acquiring Nash would give him the opportunity to shine at shooting guard, full time.
The Kings would have to throw in Samuel Dalembert's expiring contract and either Udrih or Francisco Garcia.
8. Charlotte Bobcats
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D.J. Augustin is putting up good numbers in his first year as the Bobcats starting PG but the team is just 3-7. Augustin's backup is comeback kid Shaun Livingston so needless to say G.O.A.T. coach Brown and team owner Michael Jordan could use a kick in the pants at the guard spot.
The difference between Nash and a lot of fancy guards is that in addition to putting up gaudy numbers he is also a winner and winning is something that the Bobcats are not very familiar with.
Phoenix is not going to get an even swap as far as talent so the Cats could offer Kwame Brown's expiring deal and Boris Diaw in exchange for Nash.
Nash and the volatile Stephen Jackson would be an interesting mix but if they could co-exist then the combination could be explosive (in a good way). Not to mention the potential of nightly Nash to Thomas and Nash to Wallace highlights would put butts in the seats for sure.
The biggest upside for the Cats is they could keep Augustin and allow Nash to teach him the ropes. On the flip side Nash could play in the East and have a better chance of making it to the playoffs.
7. Detroit Pistons
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Joe Dumars has made a few questionable moves as GM of the Pistons, including trading Billups for Iverson, drafting Darko over Melo and signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to big money deals, so it wouldn't be much of a shock if he dealt for Steve Nash.
With starting PG Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace's contracts all expiring this or next season, the Pistons are about to be in a state of serious transition.
Barring a trade, the only heavy contributors they will have under contract for the foreseeable future are Rip Hamilton, Will Bynum and the aforementioned CV and Gordon.
Given that Prince is not that likely to resign with the struggling franchise; the Pistons could deal the multitalented SF along with Stuckey and another expiring contract for Nash.
Nash automatically makes them better on paper but they would definitely have to change the style of play to fit his skill set.
6. Philadelphia 76ers
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The 76ers are another struggling Eastern Conference team that could use Nash's talents. At 2-8 the Sixers have talent in Igoudala, Jrue Holiday and Nocioni plus size in Brand and Hawes but they can't seem to put it together out there on the floor.
They are very young at the point guard spot with Holiday and his back up Louis Williams. Both guys are athletic and have shown flashes of serious talent but neither has shown the leadership it takes to push a team of proven talents to the next level. Not every young PG can be Rajon Rondo so maybe the Sixers need to look to a veteran guard.
With three years and over $50 million left on his contract, Brand is not likely to be dealt but the Sixers have some young talent in Thaddeus Young, Darius Songaila and Williams that may attract the Suns. If Phoenix does not bite on that then the Philly could put Igoudala back on the trading block and work out a deal to send him to the Valley of the Sun.
5. Los Angeles Clippers
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To say that Clippers fans and management are unhappy with Baron Davis conditioning and play this season is an understatement. The big guard is out until Thanksgiving due to his "bad knee" according to Clips coach Del Negro but Baron was playing like trash before he sat down.
The Clippers have put their confidence behind Eric Bledsoe but they could use a big time point in Steve Nash for the time being.
Baron is still owed $41 million under his current contract, while Nash is only owed $21 million so PHX would have to include a Channing Frye or Jared Dudley type contract in the deal for it to make financial sense. Or a three-team trade would have to take place for this to happen.
Though Baron has become disenchanted with the Clippers, history has shown that new scenery helps his attitude and his on again/off again knee problems.
Nash plus Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Eric Gordon would just be plain scary for the Pacific Division.
4. Portland Trailblazers
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Andre Miller has always been a good basic, serviceable point guard but he's not going to get you a ring.
The Blazers have an all-world player in Brandon Roy and a very solid front line with Aldridge and Camby. If they could stay healthy they would challenge for the West every year. Unfortunately that has not been the case.
They stay in that respectable team bubble but no one is afraid of the Blazers. Nash could change that. They can't make Oden or Pryzbilla stay healthy but they can deal Miller and unhappy reserve SF Rudy Fernandez for Nash and go from good to almost great overnight.
3. Dallas Mavericks
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Mark Cuban's Mavericks are never too far from any trade talk. Cuban is a wheeler dealer if there ever was one. After all he is the one who traded Nash to PHX in the first place. How ironic would it be for Nash to return to the place where he initially became a star.
Cuban traded for a past his prime Jason Kidd a couple seasons ago so why not trade for a slightly younger, slightly more in his prime Nash.
Phoenix does not want to get older, so a third team would have to be in the mix for this to happen.
Nash would step right in and run the Mavs offense with ease.
2. Atlanta Hawks
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The Hawks have a good PG in Mike Bibby and an unproven reserve in Jeff Teague, plus a point forward in Joe Johnson. That is a lot of guys vying for time to bring the ball up the floor; the only issue is that none of them do it well enough to get the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals.
The biggest complaint from Hawks fans is that Bibby doesn't play defense and neither does Nash, but Nash is a much better distributor and he disrupts the opposition's D. Teams don't have to game-plan for Bibby nearly as much as Nash.
The Hawks are good now and they have the size and athleticism to contend but adding Nash would put them right behind Boston and Orlando in the East.
They could trade Bibby and Zaza Pachulia or Jamal Crawford (who is in the last year of his deal) to get Nash and truly make Phillips Arena the highlight factory.
1. New York Knicks
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With Coach D'Antoni and Ama're Stoudemire, the NY Knicks are looking a bit like Phoenix Suns east. After watching Raymond Felton run the show to the tune of a 3-7 record, D'Antoni would most likely welcome the familiar Nash to NYC.
Nash would have some good weapons in the form of Stoudemire, Chandler and Gallinari but most importantly he would be running a system that he perfected in Phoenix.
If the Knicks traded Felton, Roger Mason and Azubuiki it would give the Suns the young players the team desires plus a decent guard in Felton, just in case Goran Dragic doesn't live up to the hype.
Nash in NYC would finally give fans in the Garden something to cheer about and it just might attract Melo.
