Point guard Steve Nash pursues his future
Set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, Steve Nash says he’s keeping his selections open. Low vig pro football betting
“It seems rather like a company line, but my situation actually at the moment is I’m open to everything,” the Phoenix Suns point guard recounted on Monday, “and I will definitely look at every scenario that comes my way, and I’m not going to close myself to any opportunities.”
Nash is expected to have lots of suitors, including the New York Knicks. The 16-year veteran has voiced interest in playing in N.Y and wouldn’t be opposed to playing with Jeremy Lin or for Coach Mike Woodson.
“I wouldn’t have any fear of the followers maybe having a love affair with Jeremy,” Nash declared. “I think it’s great. … That doesn’t really bother me.”
Nash thrived in ex-Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s high octane run-and-gun offense.
“Everyone knows I like Mike. We had some good years together,” Nash said. “It would have been another factor, but what’s during the past is in the past. When Sun. (July 1) comes around, I am going to have to take a look at all with fresh new eyes and see what’s best for me.”
The New York Knicks are still waiting to see how much income cap space they have to add a player like Nash. An arbitrator ruled that Lin and Steve Novak should be granted Bird rights, enabling the N.Y Knicks to go over the cap to sign them. But the NBA has appealed.
The Knicks are just one of one or two teams likely to be interested in Nash. The Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Mavericks are also possibilities, as are the Brooklyn Nets if they can not re-sign Deron Williams. And Nash failed to rule out staying in Phoenix.
Nash is 38, so his career is winding down. He wants to win a championship but also wants to be compensated as well.
Nash claimed he worries about the chance of taking less cash to play for a team he thinks is a contender, only for one of its top players to be injured — or worse, for him to be traded.
“I need to be actually careful and make a sound selection,” Nash expounded.
Nash, who averaged 12.5 points and 10.7 assists for the Suns last season, still considers himself an elite point guard in the NBA and feels he can play three more seasons at a high level.
So would he rather join the Miami Heat and win a title or be on the team that knocks them off?
“The reality is I’m a little old school. For me, it might be tough to put on a Lakers jersey. That’s just the way that it is,” Nash expounded. “You play against them so frequently 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 unusual, but as a free agent you’re free to go where you need, so I would have to think about everything with no regard for the past or the future.”