NBA Rumors: Suns Shouldn't Wait for Steve Nash's Blessing to Make a Deal - Bleacher Report

Life would be a lot easier if Steve Nash was a greedy, selfish and totally insufferable blowhard.

That version of Nash would have no trouble whatsoever marching into the Phoenix Suns' front office and demanding to be traded to a top contender. If nothing else, that would put an end to the they-should-trade-him vs. they-should-hang-onto-him argument.

But Nash isn't like that. He's just too damn...something...

Selfless. That's the word I'm looking for.

You know the story by now, so I'll just fill you in on the latest. Nash was asked to talk about his current station in life on Friday, and he sang the same old song.

"I'm happy where I am. I'm happy with the organization and my teammates," Nash said, courtesy of Pro Basketball Talk. "At the same time I would understand if the team wanted to make a move. I'm completely open. To be honest we don't talk about that stuff I just try to prepare to play the game as well as I can."

Part of me wants to grab Nash by the shoulders, shake him, and then, tell him that he's doing it wrong.

The other part of me wants to grab Nash and point out that he might actually be changing his tune a little.

Back in January, Nash sounded more steadfast about his desire to stay in Phoenix when Marc Stein of ESPN.com asked him about it:

"Do I go in and say, 'Trade me to a top two or three team?' I think it's lot more difficult than people think.

"One, it's not my style. Maybe I'm old school, but I feel like that's not my place to give up on my team, give up on my teammates. I signed a contract and made a commitment.

"And two, I don't feel it's like choosing a restaurant. It's got to be a situation that works for two teams. And I don't know how simple that is. But before we even get to that part of it, I just feel that I owe it to my teammates to stay committed to them. I feel that I owe it to the fans and the organization to fight."

In so many words, this answer could be translated as: "I'm not going to ask, and it's not my business."

Nash's latest answer can be translated as: "I'm not going to ask, but I'm cool with being traded."

This is probably the closest thing to a flat-out trade request as we're going to get from Nash. It's not exactly a demand, nor is it a blessing, but it could easily be taken as acceptance. If the Suns deal Nash, he apparently won't complain.

This doesn't mean the Suns will deal Nash. On the contrary, they seem just as indifferent to the reality of Nash's situation as Nash is. As long as he's cool, they're cool.

I don't have an issue with Nash's indifference, but the Suns' indifference is frustrating because it just doesn't make any sense. They know Nash is going to be a free agent at the end of the season, and they should be able to glean from Nash's other comments on Friday that they're not going to keep him.

"It'll be an interesting period for me if only because I never really been through it," Nash said of his upcoming free agency. "I want to be a champion and play on the best possible team but there's also other factors. What's the best fit for me, environment and financial considerations."

The kicker: Nash is not going to contend for a championship if he stays in Phoenix. He knows that, they know that, everyone knows that.

Since the writing is written on the wall so very clearly, the Suns should want to trade Nash. They need to rebuild anyway, and a Nash trade would net them quite an impressive haul. Nash probably wouldn't have much to work with on his new team after a trade, mind you, but that's not the Suns' concern.

Because the Suns stand to gain so much, it makes absolutely no sense for them to wait until Nash asks for a trade to start making calls. They should be working the phones right now, and they shouldn't stop working them until they find a buyer who is willing to pay through the nose for their star point guard.

If they try hard enough, they'll find one. But right now, you get the sense they're not trying at all.

If so, the front office is apparently cool with the subpar season the Suns are having, and it is also apparently cool with having to rebuild from scratch after Nash leaves.

Instead of resting on their laurels, the Nash situation is a perfect excuse for the guys in the front office to do their jobs.

25 Feb, 2012