Steve Nash: 7 Contenders' Chances of Landing the Star PG

Many NBA fans like myself feel uneasy and disappointed when Steve Nash is mentioned.

Nash, a two-time MVP and perennial superstar, is expected to spend next year, and possibly the rest of his career, in Phoenix. The Suns were one of the better teams this past decade, but are in no position to contend for a title in the near future.

Fans everywhere would like to see Nash finish his career in a magical title run similar to the one veterans Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki had this spring. Nash remains one of the best point guards in the NBA despite being 37 years old. Nash finished last season with averages of 15 PPG and 11.4 assists while maintaining very efficient shooting percentages (49.2 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from deep and 91.2 percent from the line).

The Suns made it clear they do not want to trade Nash, and Nash himself has shown no desire to leave the team. The reality is that Nash's chance of winning a title after joining a "contender" will be very slim because it is very hard to predict exactly who will finish as the top team (Shaq swung and missed three times).

Also to add to that, if we analyze every "contending team," we can derive that a logical trade for Nash would be hard to find. First off, many contenders are already set at the PG position (such as Chicago, OKC, etc). Secondly, the rest don't have the assets to make a fair trade with PHX.

Unlike the average veteran being shipped out, Nash has a decent expiring contract, which will be very valuable to the Suns.  To find equal talent for Nash would be very hard unless contenders trade parts of their core for the 37-year-old (and that too is unlikely).

Keeping all of that in mind, here are some contenders who have an outside chance of landing Nash.

Orlando Magic

Suns receive: Jameer Nelson, Daniel Orton, J.J Redick, Ryan Anderson

Magic receive: Steve Nash, Josh Childress, Garrett Siler

The Orlando Magic go for one last championship run with Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. Nash will thrive finding Magic players who have been forcing their offense throughout last season.

The Suns downgrade at the PG position, but receive super efficient Ryan Anderson and add another shooter in J.J Redick (shooters are always welcomed in Phoenix, right?). Daniel Orton could be a solid prospect going forward, and they dump Childress' ugly contract.

Overall chance of this happening: 4/10

Los Angeles Lakers

Suns receive: Lamar Odom, Devin Ebanks, 2012 first rounder

Lakers receive: Steve Nash

The Lakers upgrade at the point guard position regardless of Nash's defense.

The Suns receive Odom a legitimate starter at the PF position. Should they resign Aaron Brooks on the cheap, this trade might not make them that much worse. Devin Ebanks might contribute with his athleticism and length, and there's also that first round pick.

In general, this trade isn't very eye-popping from the Suns standpoint, and isn't likely.

Overall chance of this happening: 2/10

San Antonio Spurs

Suns receive: Tony Parker

Spurs receive: Steve Nash, Garret Siler, protect first Round pick (2012)

The Suns get younger at the point here and will make Parker their franchise player for the next two to three years. Should they continue to add to the team with Parker, there's no reason for them to miss the playoffs anytime soon. 

The Spurs don't have a lot of time to win a championship as is. Manu Ginobili is 33, and Tim Duncan is 35. Getting nine years older at the point guard position doesn't seem like a smart idea on paper, but this trade could put them over the top. The reality is that there isn't going to be much of a talent drop-off at the PG position after the trade, and the incoming first rounder could be used to further improve the team. Also, it doesn't seem San Antonio wants to be the one paying Parkers contract for four more years. With Nash, tearing down the team will be easier if they fall short another championship. 

Overall chance of this happening: 4.5/10

New York Knicks

Suns receive: Chauncy Billups, 2013 First Round Pick

Knicks receive: Steve Nash, Z. Dowdell

Here, the Suns receive another floor general in a very underrated Chauncy Billups. Billups is past his prime, but the Suns aren't just throwing away Nash for scraps in this trade. In case things don't go great for the Knicks, the Suns will also be happy to hold New York's first rounder for next season. With Billups' expiring contract, the Suns will have $13 million coming off the books vs, Nash's $10 million.

The Knicks will reunite Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni with this trade. Sure, the last thing the Knicks need is to get worse defensively, but they will have the best offense in the league by a large margin after this trade. With a full training camp together, the Knicks could finally gel and put together a 60-win season (assuming we get a 60-game season in the first place).

Overall Chance of this happening: 5.5/10

Miami Heat

Suns receive: Chris Bosh

Heat receive: Steve Nash, Robin Lopez

The Suns obtain a franchise player. Sure, Bosh isn't nearly Lebron, Wade, Howard or Rose, but he's a solid all-star caliber player who could be the focal point of the Suns offense. Chris Bosh averaged 24 PPG and 11 rebounds in his last year with Toronto. He did not ever lead that team to a deep playoff run, but to his defense, he was never surrounded by any real talent. In Toronto, Bosh was similar to LaMarcus Aldridge last year, except without talent around him. The Suns have a very underrated center in Gortat and good role players like Frye and Dudley. If they resign Brooks, the roster will look something like this:

Aaron Brooks, Z. Dowdell

Mickael Pietrus, Josh Childress

Grant Hill, Jarred Dudley, Gani Lawal

Chris Bosh, Morris, Warrick, Channing Frye

Marcin Gortat, Garett Siler

The Suns will be in position to move Warrick and Morris, which will net back a very good guard. There's no reason why that wouldn't be a playoff team.

Robin Lopez isn't wanted anymore in Phoenix, and keeping him will be fruitless because he is likely due a pay increase next summer.

The Heat had a championship team last year and barely fell short of a title. When the occasional losing skid occurred, it was due to a lack of ball movement. The Heat often became a jump shooting team, and that led to problems. With Steve Nash, that will no longer be a problem, and it's scary to think how many assists Nash could dish out for the Heat.

The Heat lose an All-Star, but Bosh's contributions could be somewhat replaced by Haslem. Despite having Mike Bibby as their starting PG, the Heat still finished the season as the second best defensive team in the league. Nash's defensive deficiencies will be masked by the Heat's smothering help defense. Also, Robin Lopez will be an upgrade over any center the Heat could get for the league minimum (no I don't think Nene wants to sign for that much).

Also, this trade will open up room for a greater cause. Chris Bosh would've received a max contract regardless of his destination last summer, but the Heat would rather have a real superstar instead. With Nash's deal coming off the books next year, Miami could be a salary-dump or two away from landing Dwight Howard.

Overall chance of this happening: 2/10

Chicaco Bulls, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, OKC Thunder

The Thunder and the Bulls don't need Nash on their team and would much rather prefer to keep their respective rosters in tact.

The Celtics and Mavericks are both Championship squads which would welcome Nash, but they do not possess any assets which would make a sensible trade.

The Celtics signed half their roster to minimum deals last season, and a lot of those players are not expected to return. Trading someone like Ray Allen for Nash would make no sense, and they don't really have anything which could entice the Suns.

The Mavericks would love to have Nash and J-Kidd sharing time at the PG slot. They would instantly have the highest IQ team in the league with the addition of Nash. The problem is that they would have to give up Kidd or another key veteran in order to obtain Nash, and the Suns will have nothing to gain from a trade like that.

Two other teams which could be possible contenders next season are Memphis and Portland, both of which have solid PG's already in Raymond Felton and Mike Conley.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the chances of Steve Nash being dealt this year is very unlikely. Few contending teams have the assets to acquire Nash without disrupting their core.

As stated in the first slide, the Suns want to hold onto Nash and see if the current team could make a playoff push after an entire training camp together.

If the season is cut short by a few games, Nash and the other old dogs of the NBA will benefit. Older players have a hard time dealing with the fatigue of the 82-game season, and Nash and Grant Hill could both have a great year despite being older next year.

Thanks for reading, and tell me what you think. Would you entertain any of these trades if you were the Suns G.M? Would any of these contenders be in their right mind to do these trades? Did I miss out a team which could really contend with Nash?