Jared Dudley does not own the Phoenix Suns, Robert Sarver does.

However, the Suns’ popular player and, well, less-popular owner do have one thing in common: neither would trade Steve Nash.

According to an interview on HoopsHype.com, Dudley said he would only trade Nash to a contender if the point guard asked to be moved.

If he didn’t ask for a trade, I would sign him to an extension, like a two-year deal and try to bring players to make another run at the championship.

Dudley’s opinion makes sense in a lot of ways.

One, there’s no doubt he enjoys playing alongside one of the best passers to ever play the game, so there is no reason for him to want his post-Nash career to begin anytime soon.

Furthermore, it seems like a great idea to move Nash, if he so chooses, to a team with a legitimate chance to win a title. Nash has done just about everything one can do in the NBA but win a championship, and chances are that won’t happen in Phoenix.

It’s Dudley’s final answer, though, that while nice, is probably less reasonable. The Suns don’t exactly appear poised to rejoin the ranks of the NBA’s elite, which is the main reason for all the Nash trade speculation in the first place. His contract is up after this next season (whenever it is), and it does not make much sense for a rebuilding team to re-sign a point guard in his late 30s, no matter how effective he still may be.

At any rate, Dudley is a smart guy, and he seems to have a pretty good grasp on not only the NBA’s lockout, but his own team’s prospects as well.

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