The Phoenix Suns sign-and-trade deal sending Steve Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers has been confirmed, and some of the details of the deal are beginning to emerge. What the Suns gain in the deal are four draft picks: The Lakers 2013 and 2015 first round picks, and their 2013 and 2014 second round picks (via Paul Coro.) The deal is for three years and $27 million, according to Marc Spears.
The Lakers were not an early contender for Nash; he had received offers from Toronto as high as $36 million and was angling for a sign-and-trade with the New York Knicks, according to CBS Sports. The issue with that deal is reported to be Phoenix's concern that New York would not include Iman Shumpert in any deal, and the team elected to take the more sure option. That undoubtedly comes as a surprise to many; Nash himself was skeptical that he would play for Los Angeles. As he told ESPN:
"The truth is I'm a bit old school," Nash said in the June 25 interview. "For me, it would be hard to put on a Lakers jersey. That's just the way it is. You play against them so many times in the playoffs, and I just use them as an example, and I have the utmost respect for them and their organization.
"I kind of have that tendency (to try to beat the best teams), so it is strange, but as a free agent you're free to go where you want, so I'd have to consider everything regardless of the past or the future."
Nash is now trying to talk teammate Grant Hill into coming with him to Los Angeles, ESPN adds. The 39-year-old Hill is one of Nash's closest friends in the game, and Los Angeles had shown interest in Hill after he returned from the same platlet-enriching treatment that Kobe Bryant credits for his knee's recovery.
Stick with this StoryStream for more on the Steve Nash to Lakers deal as it develops. For all things Suns, check out Bright Side of the Sun.
