Steve Nash is going to be Kobe Bryant’s new running mate in Los Angeles, and maybe that’ll be enough to increase the size of Dwight Howard’s one-team wish list.
The Nash sweepstakes reached a stunning conclusion today when the Lakers and Suns agreed to a sign-and trade deal, with Los Angeles sending a pair of first-round picks and a pair of second-round picks to the Suns.
That trumped the offer coming from the New York Knicks, who were willing to surrender a package built around Iman Shumpert, and the Toronto Raptors superior financial offer.
Nash is getting $25 million for three years, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, who said the Lakers increased their offer significantly two days ago.
The Suns will receive 2013 and 2015 first-round picks and 2013 and 2014 second-round picks from the Lakers, according to the Arizona Republic.
“After talking with (owner) Robert (Sarver) and (president of basketball operations) Lon (Babby) we’ve agreed that it’s time for both of us to move in new directions,” Nash said in a statement. “I approached them and asked if they would be willing to do a sign and trade deal with L.A. because it is very important to me to stay near my children and family.
“They were very apprehensive and didn’t want to do it. Fortunately for me, they reconsidered. They saw that they were able to get assets for their team that will make them better, assets they would not have otherwise had and it made sense for them to do a deal that helps their team get better.”
Now, a big question is whether Dwight Howard would be amenable to a trade to the Lakers?
Vote below:
More on the story from Sam Amick at SI.com: “The move came one day after the Brooklyn Nets reached an agreement with point guard Deron Williams to return to a Nets team that will also now include shooting guard Joe Johnson and small forward Gerald Wallace, but Brooklyn and most other teams will be hard-pressed to keep up with the Lakers as they’re now constructed. Nash, who had so many memorable battles with the Lakers during his eight seasons with the Suns, is said to be ecstatic to be getting the best of both worlds in this scenario. According to Duffy, the fact that his three children live with his ex-wife in Phoenix means he’ll be able to see far more often than if he had signed with other suitors like Toronto, New York or Dallas. “The whole predicate was to put him in position to be as close to his family as possible and in the most competitive situation possible,” Duffy told SI.com. “Both were accomplished, and then he wanted to make sure that the Suns got value for his departure because (Suns owner Robert) Sarver has been good to him and they’ve had a great relationship. That was very important to Steve. In his mind, it’s a win-win-win.” And while Nash certainly never envisioned himself wearing the purple and gold, Duffy said he’s thrilled to be making the counterintuitive jersey change. “It’ll be very interesting, very emotional,” Duffy said. “As a fan, the NBA is about rivalries, but stories and storylines. Here’s another major storyline in a major market city.”
Lakers cut that check for Sarver.
Why do the lakers take on D12 when they already have a fantastic championship core? I know he is great, but do you want that headache, and starting from scratch with chemistry?
Yes because now that they have Nash, it wont be the same as him following in Shaq’s shoes and now it wont be Kobe’s team because they have Nash… Oh wait, thats right, nothing really changed. Its not that he doesnt want to go there because they dont have pieces, he doesnt want to be a bandwagoneer and play second fiddle to anyone… #HELLOBROOKLYN