Steve Nash Comments

Those of you who frequent RealGM.com may have noticed a jaw-dropping headline concerning our very own Toronto Raptors.
Steve Nash has been reported as saying, "I've enjoyed my success in Phoenix and would love to stay here. But if not Phoenix, playing in Toronto would be a dream come true in many ways." The arrival of Nash, a native of Victoria, British Columbia, would instantly make him one of the two best players, career-wise, to ever play for the Raptors. Despite the failure of the Hakeem Olajuwon Experiment in 2001-2002, Nash's signing could completely alter the Toronto sports landscape - assuming he's not just trying to make media noise.
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Let's try to look at this possibility with a level head.

Current Situation:
- The Phoenix Suns have Nash in the fifth year of a six-year, $63 million contract. Assuming his value is slightly higher than it was when he signed it (two MVPs and four All-Star appearances already, but 36 years old at the end of the contract) he will likely receive a two-three year deal worth around $25 to $30 million. He stated in the same interview that he would like to play for at least four more seasons.

The Good:
- Steve Nash is only the second point guard in NBA history (after Magic Johnson) to win the MVP multiple times, the third guard to win back-to-back MVPs (Johnson and Michael Jordan) and was in 2006 ranked the 9th best point guard of all time by the league's general managers.
- His statistics have actually risen significantly as he has aged. When he joined the Phoenix Suns in 2004 his points, rebounds, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, steals, and assists (most substantially, from 8.8 to 11.5) per game all rose.
- The point guard to whom he's most compared, John Stockton, presents a good argument for Nash continuing to be effective - he played until he was 40, played every game of the regular season every year in his last four seasons, averaged 8.3 assists per game in those seasons, and retired with the most steals and assists in NBA history.
- Nash's most prolific attack, the pick-and-roll (mostly with Amare Stoudamire), could easily be transferred to Toronto. Chris Bosh is athletic, quick, and smart enough to adapt to a new point guard, and Toronto already has the three-point threats in Parker and Kapono who, like Raja Bell and Marcus Banks in Phoenix, spread the floor for Nash to operate.
- The Raptors will have around $25 million to spend on the free-agent market in the summer of 2010. Most notably, Jermaine O'Neal's $22 million contract will come off the books, and no matter his performance or whether the Raptors re-sign him, his next contract will be no larger than around $13 million per year.

The Bad:
- The 2008-2009 season will be Nash's 13th NBA campaign, he has logged almost 1000 games played in hs career(including playoffs) and will turn 35 on February 7th. The general rule for NBA players (and most other professional athletes) is that one's body begins to deteriorate quickly in the mid-30s.
- Nash would have to take a large pay hit to play for the Raptors. Despite the amount of salary-cap room the Raptors will have to spend, Chris Bosh's contract expires the same year, as well as Kapono's, Bargnani's and Ukic's. Parker's, Moon's, Solomon's and and Graham's contracts expire in 2009, leaving the Raptors with a pencil-thin bench should they choose to sign Nash.

Overall, a very tantalizing proposition should Colangelo choose to pursue Nash. He's one of the most talented guards to ever play the game and would be a worthwhile addition to any NBA team. While he does sound like he would love to retire a Raptor, he will have to put his money where his mouth is in the 2010 off-season to make it a reality.
Steve Nash's career statistics