NBA Rumors: Why Steve Nash Won’t Sign With Raptors

While players like Roy Hibbert and Deron Williams will grab headlines as superstars in their prime, Nash is different. He’ll top headlines as well, but no real insight -—regardless of what media pundits spew—- will be offered into that head of is.

For the most part.

At 38, Nash is a selfless superstar, and while that’s more than unheard of, so is the predicament he’s in. Having never captured an NBA championship, Nash’s decision must be more about dollar signs—more so than most free agents’ at least.

This will most likely be the last contract Nash ever signs and while the almighty dollar will prove more than tempting, there’s no way he puts himself in a situation that doesn’t allow him to contend for a title in the immediate future.

That’s why we can rule out the Toronto Raptors as a potential landing spot. Yes, the same team that is reportedly prepared to offer as much as $36 million over the next four years, is also exploring the possibility of a side-and-trade and can appeal to the patriotic side of its target is not a legitimate potential destination.

Why? Because even with Nash, the Raptors are not legitimate championship contenders. Despite boasting a wealth of scorers—namely Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan—Toronto lacks the necessary x-factors to surround Nash with. I’m talking about pick-and-roll connoisseurs, shot blocking gurus who can create opportunities in transition and deadly three-point shooters who can thrive off Nash’s perpetual drive-and-kick scenarios.

Would the Raptors become a playoff team with Nash at the helm? Most likely, but $36 million or not, that’s simply not enough to convince a ringless Nash to ensure he finishes out his NBA career that way.

Like it or not, for Nash, money is going to be a factor. Salary is a sign of respect and form of insurance should things go awry. It’s part of the nature of this beast that is professional basketball.

But while salary matters enough to count teams like the Miami Heat and New York Knicks all but out of the running, it’s not enough to ensure the legitimacy of a team like the Raptors, or the Phoenix Suns, chances at landing him.

Nash is going to have to find a happy medium, with a team who can offer him a sizable annual salary along with the opportunity to compete for a championship for the next two to four years.

Is that team the Dallas Mavericks? The Brooklyn Nets? Or perhaps even the Portland Trail Blazers?

That remains to be seen, but what’s more than a certainty is that the Raptors aren’t that team.

Regardless of how much money they offer, how many years they guarantee him or how sentimental their sales pitch is, Toronto will never be the exclusive home to Nash’s basketball prowess.