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| Would acquiring Steve Nash make Dwight Howard a happy man in Orlando? (Getty Images) |
The Suns may want to re-sign Steve Nash, but that doesn't mean the trade rumors are going to go away. And it also doesn't mean they're not going to answer the phone when someone calls about him.
There's already the rumor of Lamar Odom being talked about for Nash, but here's one with some larger implications: Nash to the Magic. Via HoopsWorld:
The Orlando Magic has made offers for Nash in the past and sources close to the situation say that they’ll attempt to acquire the 16-year veteran in the next two weeks. Dwight Howard has asked the front office to pursue Nash and sources close to Howard believe he won’t exercise his early termination option if the team is able to acquire Nash and re-sign him this summer.That... would be interesting. And it makes a decent amount of sense. Something a lot of us aren't thinking about is that Howard's not technically a free agent this summer. He just had the option to terminate his contract early and become one. So if the Magic were doing good things or he felt like he wanted to give them more time, he could just stick around and make us all go through this again in 2013.
Bringing in Nash would certainly make him reconsider though. You're talking a Hall of Fame point guard to pair with the best big man in basketball. That's a pretty good combination. The Magic would almost certainly have to take on some money in this deal as the Suns aren't going to let Nash go for nothing. But GM Otis Smith has shown a willingness in the past to mix things up in an effort to win, so I'm sure every single player on the roster would be available, except Howard.
As we near closer to the March 15 deadline, I think you'll see one of two things happen with Orlando. A) They trade Howard or B) they keep him and make an aggressive trade to try and win this year, while also convincing him to stick around later.
Nash has refused to ask for a trade from the Suns, but this deal would be good for him as he tries to compete for a title in the twilight of his career. The Suns aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so pairing Nash with Howard would at least give the Magic a relative shot. Would they be able to beat the Heat or Bulls in a series? It would be tough. But it's not just about this year, but the bigger picture. And if Howard wants Nash and Smith delivers, that could go a long ways to keeping No. 12 in Orlando.
