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On the eve of his 13th NBA season, Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash knows he's closer to the end of his playing days than the beginning, and he can easily envision finishing his career in Canada with the Toronto Raptors.
"I've enjoyed my success in Phoenix and would love to stay here," Nash said this week in an interview. "But if not Phoenix, playing in Toronto would be a dream come true in many ways."
The 34-year-old point guard says he wants to play for at least four more seasons. He has one season and a team option for a second left on his contract with the Suns, most likely making him a member of the vaunted free-agent class of 2010, joining the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Raptors' Chris Bosh.
In that context, Nash was more than willing to put Toronto at the top of his list providing the Suns wanted to go in another direction.
The Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash, pictured here earlier this year, will become a free agent in 2010. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
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"As long as it made sense from a basketball perspective and I could be an asset to a competitive team then I would relish the opportunity of playing there," Nash said.
Chances are there would be a lineup of teams looking to get a taste of Nash's magic. Certainly a reunion with former Suns coach Mike D'Antoni on Broadway with the New York Knicks seems to make sense; Nash thrived under D'Antoni in Phoenix and lives in Manhattan in the off-season.
"We've lived there in the summer for the past few years and so New York appeals on a lot of levels, with or without Mike being there," Nash said.
"We love the city, but who knows," he said, noting that with its lack of green space, Manhattan isn't the easiest for a family with young children."
What he does know is that playing an important role with Canada's only NBA team is pretty appealing. Being a figurehead for Canadian basketball? Not so much.
"If I was going up there just to hold babies and sign autographs, I think that would get tiresome for everyone pretty quickly."
No one from the Raptors was willing to comment on the possibility of adding the biggest name in Canadian basketball to their lineup, even hypothetically, citing NBA tampering rules.
But others shared their enthusiasm. "After the Raptors, the next most popular games on our schedule are Suns games, so Steve has a big following," said David Errington, executive vice-president of The Score, which has the heaviest volume of NBA games among the Canadian sports channels. "So if you combine the most popular team with the most popular player, it would be a huge lift, a big opportunity."
The Raptors will have roughly $25-million (U.S.) available under the salary cap in 2010 and would hardly have to be convinced of the box-office impact Nash could have.
The Raptors have a top-flight point guard in Jose Calderon, but both he and Nash have shown a willingness to share minutes at various stages in their career.
As one source close to Nash put it regarding a possible future with the Raptors: "It makes perfect sense."
Where he plays is obviously speculative, and Nash said he would consider going elsewhere only if the Suns were looking to revamp their roster, but he is certain he wants to keep playing well into his late thirties and perhaps beyond.
"I feel great and I feel lucky to feel this good at this age," he said. "And if I feel this good now, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to play four more years at this level.
"I'll probably have to prove myself to everyone all over again," said Nash, doubtless referencing concerns — unfounded, as it turned out — about his durability that were among the reasons the Dallas Mavericks didn't re-sign him as a free agent five summers ago. "But I feel like I've learned a lot about my body in the past few years and I really know what I need to do to make sure I'm healthy and what it takes to stay that way."
Certainly those that know him best have few doubts about Nash's long-term viability, even in a league where they say every season after 30 should be measured in dog years.
"To be honest with you, I really think he can," D'Antoni said. "When I was at Phoenix, I thought that, at a high level, he's got at least four more years. I know that he wants to and that's the biggest thing.
"You never know when a guy wakes up in summertime [and thinks] 'I'm just too tired to go through all [this] stuff' — he goes through a regimen that is very physical and gets himself ready — [but] if he can do that mentally, I think his body's great."
After struggling with injuries early in his career, Nash has missed just 26 games over the past five seasons. His four best statistical seasons — including consecutive most valuable player campaigns — have come since turning 30.
There is some precedent for a player of Nash's profile playing and excelling well into his late thirties, with perhaps the best case being former Utah Jazz guard John Stockton (to whom Nash is often compared).
The Jazz star averaged 10.8 points and 7.7 assists on 48.3-per-cent shooting as a 41-year-old while playing 27.7 minutes a game, finishing his career without missing a game over his last five seasons.
"He's re-energized," says Nash's long-time agent, Bill Duffy, who sat with his client this summer and mapped out a plan for the remainder of his playing career. "He wants to play past this contract and I'm sure there will be a number of options for him when the time comes."
