Lakers a fit for Steve Nash

Los Angeles needs a playmaker, and Nash could find his ring with Kobe

Updated: May 22, 2012, 1:52 PM ET

By Bradford Doolittle | Basketball Prospectus

This year's free-agent class is unusual in that perhaps the most interesting player on the market is probably not going to be the one who draws anywhere near the most dollars. Steve Nash is a two-time MVP who once again led the NBA in assists, but he's 38 years old and likely has just three more years to win a title. Clearly that's not going to happen with the Phoenix Suns, so while Nash has been admirably loyal to the Suns over the years, chances are he's going to be donning a new uniform in 2012-13.

For any player weighing his options, there are four basic criteria:

1. Chance to win
2. Money
3. On-court fit
4. Off-court fit

For Nash, you would think that the best combination of No. 1 and No. 2 will carry the day, but you can't discount off-court fit, either, for a guy who is known as a cosmopolitan kind of dude. Money? Well, Nash has made $119 million in his career in salary, plus endorsements, etc., so one would think that is a secondary consideration. Some players can blow through huge sums of dough, to be sure, but Nash doesn't strike me as the type to lead an opulent lifestyle.

But we can't get inside the head of any player, so we must make an educated guess. Here are different possible fits for Nash, beginning with the recently eliminated Los Angeles Lakers.

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