Steve Nash was recently quoted saying that the major motivating factor for him to sign a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers was because playing in LA would allow him to be closer to his kids. Wonder what mighta happened if his kids lived in Toronto???
Not like there was much commotion around it but Raptor general manager Bryan Colangelo was said to be in the mix of teams trying to land the now-former Phoenix Sun superstar. According to various reports, the team offered Nash something in the area of three years at around $25-30 million.
For the last eight seasons, Nash has been the pride of Canada getting paid all kinds of money to do what normally the Americans are superior at compared to Canadians. After talking to Suns owner Robert Sarver and president of basketball operations, Lon Bibby, it was agreed that Nash would move on, and hopefully it would be to LA.
Interesting that it became the Lakers that he moves on to?? With the way LA's other team, the Clippers have rebounded, why wouldn't he have wanted to go there? In an unforeseen twist that could thrust the Los Angeles Lakers straight back into title contention, two-time NBA MVP Nash has successfully negotiated a sign-and-trade deal from the Phoenix Suns to the Lakers that will team him up with Kobe Bryant among others. It's interesting that of all the teams Nash may have wound up going to (including of course Toronto), he winds up with a bitter division rival.
In some sports, when a team happens to have a high-regarded player who desperately wants a new home, usually the idea for that team's management is to try and deal him as far away as possible to eliminate the chances of playing against that new team.
Instead of dealing Nash somewhere like, Houston, or Minnesota, or Charlotte, Cleveland, or even Toronto, Phoenix deals him to a division rival.
Now. there is real reason for optimism in LA (as if there wasn't already plenty of it through April, May and June with the hockey team ripping right through everybody). Now the Lakers are no doubt going to be right back in the thick of things. With Kobe Bryant still there, Andrew Bynum, and Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest), there is more hope for the team than there was when Shaq was there. Sources told ESPN.com that Nash, with the New York Knicks also pressing hard to complete a similar sign-and-trade deal, was swayed to join the Lakers after a determined push from Bryant.
The move also does wonders to help keep him in the hunt for his first ever title hunt and stay in close proximity to his three children in Phoenix. Nash will receive a three-year deal for an estimated $27 million because the Suns ultimately agreed to sign-and-trade him to the Lakers, who can absorb Nash via the trade exception they created by dealing Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks in December.
In return, the Suns get four draft picks -- first rounders in 2013 and 2015 and second rounders in 2013 and 2014.
The deal doesn't become official until today (July 11).
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