NBA Trade Speculation: 5 Teams Steve Nash Could Land His First Championship With
Steve Nash has been nothing short of spectacular since he rejoined the Phoenix Suns in 2004. He's won two MVPs, been to five All-Star games and led the league in assists five times.
The run-and-gun style that he and Mike D'Antoni brought to Phoenix was exciting and led to a lot of regular season success. Unfortunately for Nash, it didn't lead them any further than the Western Conference finals in the postseason.
Now that his career is winding down, it's become increasingly clear that a title for a Nash-led Suns squad is a long shot at best.
Trading him would benefit both the player and the team. Nash could provide an instant boost to the offense of a few contenders. The Suns could finally kick-start their inevitable rebuilding.
Please bear in mind, most of the potential (often insane) trades I'm about to throw out would almost certainly include some draft picks either way.
Here are five 2012 contenders that Nash could finally capture his first ring with.
You can follow Andy Bailey on Twitter @_Andy_Bailey
Miami Heat
1 of 6
The Deal: Steve Nash and Josh Childress for Chris Bosh
Plenty of people will be looking for a scapegoat in Miami over the next few months. While it may be LeBron James right now, don't be surprised if someone else starts taking the brunt of the criticism.
Before I go any further, I need to say that trading any of the "Big Three" seems like a serious overreaction at this point, but don't be surprised if people suggest trading Bosh a lot this summer.
He's not the kind of young talent Phoenix probably wants for Nash, but he's shown he can take a team to the playoffs as the franchise player. If it could surround him with a couple other stars, Phoenix could be all right in a year or two.
Unloading the contract of Childress would be a plus for the Suns as well.
For Miami, one of its biggest deficiencies was at point guard last year. Nash would make life much easier for LeBron and Dwyane Wade on the offensive end of the floor, but they'd have to expend all that saved energy on defense to make up for Nash's deficiencies there.
Orlando Magic
2 of 6
The Deal: Steve Nash for Ryan Anderson and Jameer Nelson
In this deal, the Suns would be getting a quality starting point guard in Jameer Nelson and one of the most underrated players in the league in Ryan Anderson.
Orlando's young forward averaged 17.2 points and nine rebounds per 36 minutes last season. The only bench player with a higher Player Efficiency Rating than Anderson was Lamar Odom (who started 35 games).
This guy is definitely an NBA-quality starter and undoubtedly deserved that role over Brandon Bass in Orlando. He could be a great pickup for Phoenix.
On the other end of the deal, Nash would be a great fit for Orlando. He would increase the offensive efficiency of the entire team—and just imagine how many more dunks Dwight Howard would get.
Los Angeles Lakers
3 of 6
The Deal: Steve Nash and Robin Lopez for Andrew Bynum
This would be a no-brainer for the Suns and absolutely insane for the Lakers. But don't be surprised if I'm not the only person who throws out this ludicrous idea.
San Antonio Spurs
4 of 6
The Deal: Steve Nash and Vince Carter for Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess
Again, this one makes a ton of sense for the Spurs but very little sense for the Suns. I guess Tony Parker could be pretty explosive if Phoenix kept something similar to the current system, and Jefferson would be a solid replacement for the soon-to-retire Grant Hill.
McDyess will be on an expiring contract next year, so that's money off the books.
As for the other side of the deal, Steve Nash could re-energize Tim Duncan and the rest of the Spurs organization (despite the fact that he's already 37).
New York Knicks
5 of 6
The Deal: Steve Nash and Robin Lopez for Chauncey Billups and Landry Fields
I know I throw out the Billups-Fields combo every time I talk about possible Knicks trades. I only do that because I have to. Those two are the only tradable assets New York has (the Carmelo Anthony deal wiped them out).
Billups would be on an expiring contract for Phoenix, and Fields has proven that he can be a solid wing in the NBA (they'll need one to replace the aging Vince Carter and Grant Hill).
As for Nash in New York, some think it will work, but don't count me among that crowd. The Nash-Amar'e Stoudemire-D'Antoni trio failed in Phoenix because of a lack of defense, and I don't see any more of that on New York's roster.
More on the NBA
6 of 6
You can follow Andy Bailey on Twitter @_Andy_Bailey
