That being the case, the Lakers prefer to use him for his last season under contract, then let his $19.3 million fall off their cap.
With the age-old dreams resurfacing about Nash going to Toronto, the National Post’s Bruce Arthur quoted a Raptors source as saying, “It makes no sense. It wouldn’t work for us.”
At 39, Nash is being buried alive. A blogger on Lake Show Live noted his Lakers career “is beginning to resemble the life cycle of the alaskan [sic] salmon in its spawning stage before eventual death. Unacceptable.”
Unacceptable?
What’s next? Tearing off his uniform in a ceremony at half-court?
If the season already seems a month old in Lakerdom, it may feel like six months by the end of the week with the trip that started with Tuesday’s loss in Dallas and continues with losses games in Houston and New Orleans.
Here’s something to clip and save in Lakerdom in case of more hard times, which are assured:
This season isn’t about the actual season. It’s about being the best they can be while setting themselves up to attract star players in 2014, but more so in 2015 and 2016.
Tom Ziller of Sports Blog Nation sneered at the notion that they will land LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony via “Laker exceptionalism.”
Actually, the Lakers’ outlook is suitably humble.
My sources tell me they don’t think they’re getting LeBron. And they may not even want Melo; a team insider told me they are leery of maxing out a guy who has been beyond the first round twice in 10 seasons. The Lakers’ goals go further than that.
The expectation is that someone good will take their money in 2014, 2015 and 2016, if they are wise enough to hold it for the right players.
In 2015, free agents may include Kevin Love, whose pro-Laker yearnings have been obvious enough to tick off the Twin Cities, and perhaps Eric Bledsoe, now in Phoenix showing what a big-timer he may be (and how valuable of a commodity he will become after not getting an extension.)
In 2016, it could be Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. (Colleague Chris Bernucca has already weighed in on the Durant possibility).
In the meantime, Lakers fans, be brave.
And patient.
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Hall of Fame writer Mark Heisler is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops, the Orange County Register and LakersNation. Follow him on Twitter.