All eyes will be on Steve Nash as free agency begins for the NBA this weekend, especially those of Suns fans everywhere. While Nash has enjoyed his time in the Valley, there is no doubt that the aging star wants to win a championship before he retires.
While some believe the Heat are the most like destination for Nash outside of the Suns, the Toronto Raptors will reportedly make a push to land him. And as this latest story from Sports Illustrated explains, the Raptors could be a legitimate threat for the Canadian point guard.
The Raptors are set to make a hard push for Steve Nash once free agency begins on Sunday, an interesting potential move one could view as both sensible and wasteful. The Raptors could, in theory, have much as $11 million or so in cap space, plenty to pursue Nash, whose status as a national hero in Canada has obvious appeal to a team that last summer signed Canadian Jamaal Magloire as a glorified native son mascot.
Nash, of course, is still a wonderful player who has said he will consider factors other than winning a title in choosing his next team - factors that will include money and his general comfort with any potential suitor city. Toronto presumably checks off both those boxes, while other possible destinations, including the Knicks and Heat, cannot offer any more than the mini mid-level exception that carries an annual starting salary of $3 million a year.
Nash has publicly stated that money will play a factor in his decision, although it would seem unlikely that a million dollars or so would be the determining factor for where he ends up. You can bet that Nash would love to play back in his home country, but the Raptors don't exactly look like a team ready to compete for a championship anytime soon.
Then again, neither do the Suns.
For more on Nash, NBA free agency and continued Suns coverage, be sure to check out Bright Side of the Sun.