Embattled New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire wants Steve Nash to join him in New York next season.
Stoudemire, who played with Nash in Phoenix, told reporters that he'd like to see the two-time NBA MVP join the Knicks next season. Nash has already made New York City his offseason home.
"Everyone knows that Steve loves New York and that New York loves Steve," Stoudemire told the New York Daily News. "I love Steve. It would be great to have him here next year."
The Daily News reports that Nash might also be interested in going to the Miami Heat or the Portland trail Blazers.
Stoudemire made the comments after a 106-94 loss to the Miami Heat knocked the Knicks out of the playoffs. The Knicks had many issues to deal with throughout the series, but the biggest was the lack of a strong point guard.
The Knicks had no chance to advance past the superior Heat when they were forced to use the likes of Mike Bibby and Toney Douglas at the position. The Knicks need a viable point guard if they hope to join the Heat among the Eastern Conference's elite and Nash would provide just that.
Currently at the point guard position, the Knicks have Bibby, Douglas, Baron Davis, and Jeremy Lin, but Douglas is the only one with a contract in place. The Knicks will try to keep Lin, but would love to pair him with a veteran such as Nash.
Nash is a free agent this offseason and is expected to leave Phoenix for a chance to win a title. Pairing him up with his old teammate Stoudemire and the rest of the Knicks could finally propel them past another first-round playoffs exit.
The Knicks are in desperate need for someone to run the show at point and Lin is still a bit too raw to do that for a championship caliber team. Nash could mentor Lin and helping sand out some of the rough edges.
The big issue is whether the Knicks would be able to afford both without some creative accounting. The Knicks have major salary cap issues and the most that they'll be able to offer any player is the team's mid-level exception unless they make a trade to clear room.
That exception was expected to go to Lin, though the Knicks must also deal with free agents like Steve Novak, J.R. Smith, Landry Fields, and Jared Jeffries.
