Lakers Rumors & News Recap: Heat Wasn't Close To Signing Nash

Before landing with the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade on July 4 last year, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash had a few options to consider in free agency. Among the options that Nash seriously considered was heading back to Canada in order to sign with the Toronto Raptors or agreeing to a deal with the New York Knicks.

Nash ultimately signing or being traded to the Lakers was considered a long shot at best. After playing for the division rival Phoenix Suns for the best part of his career, the Lakers were considered the enemy and signing with Los Angeles was tough to say the least, but it happened anyway with general manager Mitch Kupchak pulling off it.

One destination that Nash was thought to be seriously considering and seemed to be a good fit was with the defending NBA champion Miami Heat.

Miami was looking to bring in veteran talent in order to bolster the bench, but the addition of Nash would added a potential starter to the backcourt with Mario Chalmers heading to the bench.

Apparently, despite seemingly being a perfect fit, Nash wasn’t close to signing with Miami. Nash wanted more than a one-year deal and the Heat’s front office wasn’t willing to offer more than that.

So even though Nash was linked to the Heat for quite some time, the longtime face of the Suns franchise landed in Los Angeles and failed to stay healthy for an entire season. Nash’s inability to stay healthy and his advanced age leaves a lot of doubt about whether or not he’ll be able to make an impact with the Lakers moving forward.

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