As the Los Angeles Lakers continue their chase for Carmelo Anthony and other free agents, Friday marks the two year anniversary of when the team traded for Steve Nash in a sign and trade.
At the time of the trade, there were few who could find fault with the move. The Lakers were in need of a point guard and by landing Nash, the Lakers found themselves with a two-time league MVP and one of the game’s greatest passers.
Despite his impressive resume, Nash came with health issues. During his last years with the Suns, back issues bothered Nash and needed to be treated in order for him to stay on the court. The Suns were not the competitive team that Nash helped lead years before. By going to the Lakers, Nash found a chance to contend for the NBA title that had eluded him before.
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However, over the course the last two seasons, Nash has only appeared in 65 regular season games as injuries kept him sidelined. In his second regular season game as a Laker, he suffered a knee injury when he ran into Damian Lillard. Coupled with his problematic back, Nash’s Laker career has been marred with his inability to play.
Still, Nash has provided some memorable moments as a member of the Lakers. This season, he celebrated his 40th birthday by leading the Lakers to a win over the Philadelphia 76ers by scoring a season-high 19 points.
In April, Nash passed Mark Jackson for third on the all-time assists list with 13,335. What Nash could still bring as a Laker is to be questioned as injuries and time continue to be going against him. The 2014-15 season will be the last of the contract he signed two years ago.
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