The Phoenix Suns end of the trade with Orlando was about saving money — getting the bloated Turkoglu deal off the books, getting in a Vince Carter contract that can be bought out next year. It was about clearing out cap space for the future while not making the team drastically weaker in the short-term (Carter is not as good as Richardson for this offense, but Marcin Gortat will help in the paint).
This planning for the future begs the next logical question:
Will Steve Nash be traded next?
No. Suns owner Steve Sarver told Marc Stein of ESPN that in no uncertain terms. Not even thinking about it. (Other reports have echoed the same sentiment.)Said Sarver: “This deal has nothing to do with [trading] Nash. We have no intention to trade him….”
As one team insider said: “It would be like the Colts trading Peyton Manning. Sarver doesn’t want to be that guy.”
Steve Nash is a Phoenix institution, a part of the community and not just a basketball player. Payton Manning is a good analogy — he’s more than just another athlete to that city.
The only way Nash gets traded is if he comes to the Suns and asks to be moved. And that’s not Nash. Not his style.
Maybe he will down the line, one summer or one future deadline he will decide he wants one last run at the ring bad enough to leave town. But not likely, and certainly not this year. Steve Nash will remain a Sun for now.