ESPN’s Barry: Despite comments, Nash won’t leave
Mar 30, 2012, 10:30 PM | Updated: Mar 31, 2012, 12:24 am
Steve Nash opined on national radio Thursday that he wants
to be on a team in the hunt for a championship, and the
Suns, quite frankly, have been going backwards in
attempting to get to that point.
But ESPN analyst Jon Barry told Arizona Sports 620’s Doug
and Wolf Friday that Nash will not leave Phoenix.
“I think at the end of the day, he wants to be at home,
and Phoenix is his home, and I doubt that he leaves,”
Barry said.
Barry’s reasoning behind Nash’s comments includes former-
Sun Boris Diaw, and Nash’s desire to see the Suns acquire
him after being waived by the Charlotte Bobcats. Diaw
signed with the San Antonio Spurs last week.
“From what I gathered, what I heard, that he was a little
upset it wasn’t done,” Barry said. “It wasn’t anything
that was gonna break the bank and be a major problem for
Phoenix to do, just to show Steve that ‘Yeah, we are
trying to improve. We are trying to take steps to get this
thing going in the right direction.'”
Because the organization never budged, Barry explained
that Nash made some comments out of distaste. However, if
Nash makes it clear he wants to leave, it may not be an
easy process because of his age and how much he’s meant to
the Valley.
“What do you pay him? What he’s worth at this franchise,
the Phoenix Suns, is immeasurable,” Barry said “But if you
went to another franchise; and what if he didn’t have the
type of impact he had? Will he be able to play again after
a summer off and play as effective as he’s playing right
now?
“Those are all the questions. Does he need a two-year
deal, does he want a three-year deal, is it a one-year
deal?”
Though Nash may not be a sure thing going forward, there
will still be teams waiting to give him what he wants.
“A lot of variables in this, but certainly if he’s playing
the way he plays this year next year, man, I’d pay him a
bunch of money, and I’d give him a shot.”
