Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Nash has been mentioned in rumors all season regarding his retirement, but the LA star says he is not done with his NBA career and the future could lead him to the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, NY Knicks, Dallas Mavericks or Houston Rockets through a trade or eventually as a free agent.
Nash said that he is hoping to return next season after being injured basically all year and according to Pro Basketball Talk, head coach Mike D'Antoni thinks that Nash is done for the season. The report says that Nash is hoping to play again this season, but the head coach said he "doubts" that the point guard will be back on the court, but that doesn't mean his career is over. Another report from PBT has Nash saying that he wants to come back "for sure" and by next season he could be fully healthy along with Kobe Bryant.
Nash signed a three year contract worth $27,901,500 with the Lakers in 2012 and he is getting paid $9,701,000 next season and that makes a trade tough, but not impossible depending on which team wants him. The Lakers could retain Nash and that is what they likely will do, but if D'Antoni doesn't think he can continue playing at a high level, Nash could get moved to another team like the Raptors or the Knicks.
Nash is 40 years old and looks it and one of the biggest advantages for Nash and the team is his expiring contract for next season and that could be valuable over the summer and next year heading into the trade deadline. The Lakers are trying to set themselves up for the summer of 2015 to snag Kevin Love and Nash could be part of that if they clear his salary, but either way, he needs to find a way back on the court before he can get traded anyway.
Nash has been in the league for 18 years and he has only played in 10 games this season and has averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 assists. Nash was great against the Sixers earlier in the season, putting in 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting with five assists, but that feels like ages ago now. ESPN.com reports that the team could waive Nash with a provision in the CBA that would allow them to have $3.2 million counted on the cap for the next three years, but that appears to be a last option for the team.
The Lakers come into the week at 21-39 and the team has been terrible all year with Nash and Bryant out and now they are playing for the future.
