More Steve Nash Trade Speculation - This Time Portland?

I have a grudging respect for John Hollinger's statistical analysis on the mothership, but very little respect for his talents playing an NBA General Manager. He's no better than us - he just has a better medium on which to post his ridiculous ideas as if there is value to them.

Nash is a free agent after the season and, as our Marc Stein noted earlier this year, his contract isn't extension-eligible. So any team trading for him would basically be taking him on as a rental. Who would do such a thing?

Well, the Blazers might. Portland has been undone by uneven backcourt play so far this year, something that obviously would change the second Nash showed up. And they have the perfect pieces to put into a deal. Raymond Felton has an expiring contract of his own that nearly matches Nash's, which means the deal basically comes down to prospects. Portland can offer two young guards -- Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams -- and possibly a future draft pick, as well.

Steve Nash to Portland is wrong on SO many levels:

1) His style demands control of the offense, while Nate McMillian likes clear playcalling from the bench

2) Portland plays defense in order to initiate offense. Nash does the opposite.

3) Hollinger suggests trading the 3 least valuable/liked players on the Blazers roster in exchange for the best player on the Suns (Nash)

4) Hollinger then speculates that "throwing in a draft pick" might close the deal. That's ridiculous. That comment implies all draft picks are the same value, so there's no need to qualify which pick in which year. Amateur trade rosterbation if I've ever seen it. The #2 pick in 2012? Sign me up! The #25 pick in 2012 or 2013? No thanks!

Why didn't Hollinger just write: "Trade one of my favorite NBA players (Steve Nash) to one of my two favorite NBA teams (Portland and Atlanta) for a player fans of my team all hate with a passion (Felton) and some ambiguous end-of-bench "youths" whose names we won't remember in 24 hours."

I've seen more realistic and less-biased trade suggestions on the BSotS fanposts!

[Update by Seth Pollack, 02/01/12 12:16 PM MST ]

The rosterbation king himself got in on the mix today as well with his own brand of b.s.:

There is plenty to ask when it comes to the 2011-12 NBA season - Grantland
But what if the Blazers offered Raymond Felton, Nic Batum (whom they just passed on extending) and $3 million for Nash, with the wink-wink caveat that Phoenix then had to buy out his buddy Grant Hill's contract so Hill could sign with Portland?

This deal at least makes more sense for the Suns if Batum is included although I'm not sure on what planet a "wink-wink" deal about buying out Grant is even in the neighborhood of reality.

But if Portland were dumb enough to offer Felton, Batum and their 1st round pick for Nash....that's a deal you have to listen to regardless of how poorly he'd fit there. Batum will be an RFA after this season so it would be huge for the Suns to get him under their control. He's legit.