NBA Free Agency: Summer Ball

Now that a new champion has been crowned, we’re officially into the 2012-2013 NBA season– and the rumor mill is in full swing. Last week, commissioner David Stern welcomed a new crop of rookies into the Association and on Sunday, the league’s top free agents began fielding offers from franchises looking to improve their rosters. With the feeding frenzy over the biggest names in sports upon us, and with future Hall of Famers like Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan reportedly off the block, GMs are placing their highest bids to secure their respective teams future. With agents, Canada’s Finest, Superman, Jesus Shuttlesworth and Linsanity all free to explore their options, Life + Times chimes in on where the league’s marquee players should land.

Steve Nash

Steve Nash has showed few signs of slowing down, but at age 38, the league’s two-time MVP is at a point in his career where winning a championship is all that matters. In a league short of pure playmakers, Nash is still one of the all-time best. After spending the last few seasons wasting away with the Phoenix Suns, the eight-time All-Star will weigh options from his former team the Dallas Mavericks, the Toronto Raptors, the New York Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets and the world champions, the Miami Heat. Although the thought of returning home, north of the border, may entice Nash, the opportunity to team up with the game’s best to win a title sounds even better.

To be clear, Nash did stress that he’s “open to everything” and stated that he’ll listen to any team that calls, but scouts are all predicting that he’ll go where the money is. Toronto has the most money to spend on him in the short-term, a three-year deal worth $36 million, but would the Canadian superstar want to suffer another agonizing season at the bottom? Probably not. The Mavs, the Knicks and Brooklyn are his best options. Nash resides in New York during the offseason, so why wouldn’t he want to take a bit out of the Big Apple? If he can make it here, he can make it anywhere.