Suitors lining up to pursue Steve Nash

The clock is ticking, and with every second that passes,
the beginning of the NBA free agency period gets closer.

And for Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns, that could very
well mean the end of a magical eight-year run during which
the point guard won two Most Valuable Player Awards, the
Suns won over 63% of their games and advanced to the
conference finals three times.

In a piece that appears on ESPN.com, NBA insider
Marc
Stein indicates that Nash hasn’t even started his
“process” of determining where he wants to play and that
several teams are positioning themselves to make a run at
the eight-time All-Star.

Sources briefed on the matter told ESPN.com
that the three teams with salary-cap space best positioned
to make a credible run at the 38-year-old, at this early
juncture, are Portland, Toronto and Brooklyn (should the
Nets lose D-Will).

New York and Miami are also frequently mentioned as
potential Nash destinations, but neither the Knicks nor
the Heat have the requisite cap room to make a serious
bid. The Blazers, by contrast, have coveted Nash for years
in trades and will finally have the financial flexibility
to chase him, offering the closest proximity to Nash’s
Vancouver roots than anywhere else on the NBA map among
other perks. Sources say that the Raptors, meanwhile, will
be determined suitors in the Nash Sweepstakes, with a
serious offer forthcoming to try to bring the newly
installed general manager of Canada’s national team back
to home soil after 16 seasons south of the border with the
Suns and Mavericks.

The article also mentions a report from
CSNChicago.com that says the Chicago Bulls could also
make a serious run at Nash, and will try to convince him
that the Windy City is a great place to pursue a
championship before riding off into the sunset.

Sunday, the New
York Daily News reported that the Suns have a plan to
pursue free agent-to-be point guard Deron Williams should
Nash choose to finish his career elsewhere.

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