Photo by corydisbrowphotography via Flickr
The Orlando Magic has made offers for Nash in the past and sources close to the situation say that they’ll attempt to acquire the 16-year veteran in the next two weeks. Dwight Howard has asked the front office to pursue Nash and sources close to Howard believe he won’t exercise his early termination option if the team is able to acquire Nash and re-sign him this summer.
via NBA PM: Dwight Howard Wants Steve Nash | HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors.
This is starting to smell a lot like destiny – which, coincidentally, smells like the final, burning descent of the aught-era Suns.
The possibility of Nash-to-Orlando has been on the backburner seemingly as long as the idea of the point guard’s departure from Phoenix has been floated. It gained steam as this season progressed and as  it became more and more apparent that the Magic were going to try to keep Dwight Howard through this season. Now comes this report of Howard’s interest in Orlando acquiring Nash, wrapped in the delicious contract-bacon of an implication that he’d stick around if the Point God made his way to Florida.
As a Suns fan, I’ve been reticent to consider any trades involving Nash. As soon as he leaves, the Suns become wholly gruesome as a basketball team. It’s a nice sentiment that fans should continue to support their favorite team regardless of how good they are, but it’s also trite. Without the engine that runs this jalopy, people aren’t going to come to the demolition derby. From a business standpoint, then, I can at least understand why the Phoenix front office is so reluctant to deal Nash without his insistence on a trade; ticket sales and ratings hinge on his presence in the desert. If the Suns are going to trade their best player, then they better get quite a bit of value for him, and that’s just not going to happen. No one is giving up fair value for a 38-year old point guard, regardless of how well he’s playing.
But as an NBA fan? This is exactly what I want. The idea of Nash getting the ball to Howard where he needs it, setting up defenses with his neverending story and its dribble penetration plot devices, is one that sends my basketball-watching mind a-sputterin’ from sheer excitement. I also would kill to see Nash play defense in Stan Van Gundy’s defensive system, anchored by a stalwart like Howard. Nash isn’t as bad of a defender as many think he is; watching him play for one of the best defensive coaches in the world sounds like a blast.
And really, it’s the Orlando Magic. While I grew up as a Suns fan, the Magic grabbed a hold of my attention in the early-90s, as they did for so many other young NBA fans. As Grantland’s Rembert Browne put it:
I grew up, by geographical force, a Hawks fan, but one of the interesting things about that Magic team was that it seemed to attract fans from all over the country, myself included. To this day, I feel like that team has semi-cult status, almost like the Fab Five.
via Penny Hardaway Gives Us a Lift (And Answers Our Questions!) – The Triangle Blog – Grantland.
It’s 100% true. Having those teams miss out on an NBA title and a prolonged run was rather disappointing when I was growing up; I’d give quite a bit to see a modern-day reimagining Shaq and Penny in the visage of Dwight and Steve.
Lil Nash, anyone?
