Steve Nash to Miami Heat: Does LeBron James Know Something About Suns We Don't?

Amidst the not-so-cautious optimism the NBA is boasting, LeBron James tweeted about the possibility of title chasing with the fellow empty ring-fingered Steve Nash.

Aside from the obvious financial restrictions the new CBA may impose on this, the Miami Heat have no assets to offer in return, unless the Phoenix Suns are high on Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers.

The 15-year veteran is an offense-directing genius. He knows where everyone on the court is at all times, and poses a major threat to opposing defenses because of both his scoring and passing abilities.

At 37, Nash is not going to continue to play forever, but he has aged fantastically. His average of 14.7 points and 11.4 assists per game last season proves that much.

Many heralded point guards’ first instincts are to pass, but Nash is on a whole other level; his ability to distinguish between when to pass, when to be patient and when to penetrate is near unmatchable.

However implausible James’ musing seems, you cannot argue with his logic in terms of how Nash fits in.

Miami is in need of a capable point guard to balance the offense between its big three, and it would be impossible to find a better candidate than Nash. That being said, it is also near impossible for Miami to strike a deal with the Phoenix Suns.

Sure, the Heat could trade one of James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh to Phoenix, but why would they?

Wade and James are two of the best players in the league, and while Bosh may be the most expendable, it is unlikely the Suns welcome his contract, nor can the Heat be expected to win a title without any talent in the low-post.

The only hope Miami has of acquiring Nash is if he is bought out by Phoenix post-lockout. So is James’ tweet merely for entertainment purposes, or does he know something about Nash that we don’t?

Nash is at the tail end of his career, and could exhibit a desire to play for a contender. However, is he likely to ask for a buy-out, especially when we all thought he was happy in Phoenix?

It arguably doesn’t make sense for the Suns, who are rebuilding, to hold onto the aging Nash. However, it also doesn’t make sense for them to buy him out when they could still get adequate value on the trade market for him in return.

Nash could tell Phoenix that he would ask for a buy out from any team he is traded to, which would prevent some serious suitors from acquiring him, but he is not that type of player.

James would certainly welcome the opportunity to play alongside Nash, but that pipe dream is best pushed to the back of his mind until next summer when the point guard is a free agent.

It must be slightly disconcerting to watch other teams make plays for the Dwight Howards, Chris Pauls and Monta Ellis’ of the league, while your team must stand idly by and hope some capable athletes welcome a substantial pay cut.

But James asked for this.

All three of the Heat’s stars had to have some sense of the financial implications of them joining forces; they had to realize that tradeable assets aside from them would be nearly non-existent.

Miami’s superstar talent appealed to the likes of Mike Miller last season, but he wasn’t accepting that much less of an offer than he would have gotten elsewhere. Aside from proving chivalry is misunderstood in South Beach, this also shows that until James and company bring in a great talent at an actual discount, the allure of playing alongside them doesn’t have as far a reach as suspected.

So, once again, does James’ tweet mean he knows something the rest of us don’t?

After the formation of the big three, we would be absent-minded to use the word “never,” so let’s go with "probably not."

More likely, it is just an indication that the rest of us have come to accept a reality that he won’t.

You can follow Dan Favale on Twitter here @Dan_Favale.