Steve Nash Trade Rumors: Could the Former MVP Go to the Miami Heat?

Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash has had a spectacular career since his arrival to the NBA in 1996. A seven-time All-Star, Nash also won the NBA Most Valuable Player award both in 2005 and 2006. He has also led the league in statistics such as assists, free-throw percentage and three-point field-goal percentage on several occasions.

Unfortunately Nash has yet to add a NBA Championship to his list of achievements over the years. Nash has made nine-career playoff appearances while playing for the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, yet he has never even participated in the NBA Finals. 

Dubbed by ESPN as the ninth-best point guard in NBA history, Nash is arguably one of the best players ever without any championship hardware.

Now 37 years old, Nash and his Phoenix Suns have lost their spark since the departure of All-Star forward Amar'e Stoudemire before last season. Barely clinging to a .500 record, the Suns missed the playoffs for just the second time since Nash arrived from Dallas for his second stint in Phoenix.

Assuming Nash only has a year or two of quality basketball left in him, the former MVP must be hungrier than ever to win his first NBA title. Unfortunately for the Suns and their fans, a championship with Nash in Phoenix is highly unlikely. When your starting rotation includes Marcin Gortat, Jared Dudley, Channing Frye and a washed up Grant Hill, it's difficult to ever be considered a championship contender.

Last season, Phoenix made a deal with the Houston Rockets for up-and-coming point guard Aaron Brooks. With Brooks now in the picture, losing Nash would not mean the end of the world for the Suns by any means.

But where would Nash end up?

If Steve Nash is to be traded out of Phoenix before the season begins, he would want to go to a team where he can start and compete for a championship right away.

No team right now is hungrier for a title than the Miami Heat. After letting the 2011 NBA Finals slip away from them, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and company are ready to prove that they do in fact deserve a championship.

In October, James actually tweeted about the possibility of acquiring Steve Nash, saying, "Maybe @SteveNash in a Heat uni! So we can help each other get our 1st ring.”

With Mario Chalmers and Mike Bibby as the current point guard options in Miami, the veteran Nash would have no issue cracking the starting lineup. Neither Bibby nor Chalmers averaged over seven points per game last year.

Unfortunately for Miami's front office, Nash is set to make upwards of $11 million in Phoenix this year. Unless Nash is willing to take less money to play for a contender like the Heat, Miami would have to give up some of their young reserves to acquire the 37-year-old veteran.

Miami provides Nash as good a chance as any team to win his first championship ring. Odds makers in Las Vegas have the heat as two-to-one favorites to win the NBA Finals this season.

After the storied career that Nash has had after all these years in Dallas and Phoenix, it would be a shame to see him retire with no ring. So even if his first came while playing for a team as nationally despised as the Miami Heat, it would be a great exclamation point on an already illustrious NBA career.