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The Los Angeles Lakers made a significant move that should keep them a contender in the NBA’s Western Conference.
On Wednesday, they reached an agreement to acquire point guard and two-time MVP Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns in a sign-and-trade deal that will send four future draft picks and 3 million dollars in cash to the Suns.
Teams cannot officially sign or trade free agents until July 11, but Nash will receive a three-year, 27 million dollars made possible by the trade exception gained when the Lakers traded forward Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks last season.
The Suns will receive first-round picks in 2013 and 2015 and second-round picks in 2013 and 2014 plus 3 million dollars in cash from the Lakers.
“This is what I call a family values contract” – Nash’s agent Bill Duffy told USA TODAY Sports. “He was seriously considering retiring so he could remain close to his children. We had to twist his arm to have an open mind. He didn’t want to be away from his children, and this allows him to be in a competitive situation, and even though it’s a rival, he wanted Phoenix to get some value back. It’s a win-win.”
Nash has three children, but is divorced from their mother, who lives in the Phoenix area. Nash and his ex-wife have twin daughters, Lola and Bella, who are 7 years old, and a son, Matteo, who will turn two in November.
Phoenix is a one-hour flight from Los Angeles, making it easy for Nash to travel between the two cities.

Steve Nash.

Just as the NBA’s Eastern Conference seemed to be nudging the balance of power its way, the Lakers pulled off a stunning sign-and-trade for point guard Steve Nash that turns them into legitimate title contenders again in the West.
Nash’s agent, Bill Duffy, confirmed reports that Nash agreed to join the Lakers for a deal that will be worth three years and approximately $27 million while his former team, Phoenix, will receive two future first-round picks, two future second-round picks and $3 million in cash. The move came one day after the Brooklyn Nets reached an agreement with point guard Deron Williams to return to a Nets team that will also now include shooting guard Joe Johnson and small forward Gerald Wallace, but Brooklyn and most other teams will be hard-pressed to keep up with the Lakers as they’re now constructed.
Nash, who had so many memorable battles with the Lakers during his eight seasons with the Suns, is said to be ecstatic to be getting the best of both worlds in this scenario. According to Duffy, the fact that his three children live with his ex-wife in Phoenix means he’ll be able to see far more often than if he had signed with other suitors like Toronto, New York or Dallas.
“The whole predicate was to put him in position to be as close to his family as possible and in the most competitive situation possible” – Duffy told SI.com. “Both were accomplished, and then he wanted to make sure that the Suns got value for his departure because (Suns owner Robert) Sarver has been good to him and they’ve had a great relationship. That was very important to Steve. In his mind, it’s a win-win-win.”
And while Nash certainly never envisioned himself wearing the purple and gold, Duffy said he’s thrilled to be making the counterintuitive jersey change.
“It’ll be very interesting, very emotional” – Duffy said. “As a fan, the NBA is about rivalries, but stories and storylines. Here’s another major storyline in a major market city.”

Steve Nash flirted with New York, listened to Toronto and pondered a return to Dallas, in a furious recruiting period that threatened to tip the balance of power in one N.B.A. region or another. The answer at last came Wednesday evening, just before the fireworks began to fly – Nash is heading to Los Angeles, to join Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, in a deal that should catapult the Lakers back into title contention.
The Phoenix Suns, despite some reservations about sending their star point guard to a division rival, agreed to a sign-and-trade deal. The precise terms of Nash’s contract were not immediately known. The Suns will receive two first-round picks (in 2013 and 2015) and two second-round picks (in 2013 and 2014), but no players. It is assumed that they will receive the so-called trade exception the Lakers obtained in the Lamar Odom trade last December.
The trade was first reported by KTAR in Phoenix and confirmed by The Arizona Republic.
The deal leaves the Knicks still searching for a veteran hand to stabilize their offense and to mentor Jeremy Lin, their promising 23-year-old point guard. The Knicks were always a longshot to land Nash, because of salary-cap constraints and a dearth of tradable assets. Their only chance to was to acquire Nash via sign-and-trade. They made a hard push, offering a trade package built around Iman Shumpert and a bunch of minor players with expiring contracts. Although Nash (38) has a home in the West Village and spends his summers here, he ultimately chose the Lakers, presumably to stay closer to his family and to enhance his chances at a title before he retires.
Losing Nash increases the pressure on the Knicks to re-sign Lin, who was courted Wednesday by the Houston Rockets. The Rockets were expected to offer Lin a backloaded contract that could be worth more than $25 million over up to four seasons. The Knicks can match any offer to Lin because he is a restricted free agent.
They are also hoping to land Jason Kidd, although they are limited to offering the $3,09 million exception. Kidd could earn much more by staying with the Mavericks, who may be motivated to pay him after losing Deron Williams (to the Nets) and Nash on consecutive days.
The Raptors offered Nash a deal worth a reported $36 million over three years. The Mavericks could have offered just as much. The Knicks would have paid him about $25 million over three seasons in a sign-and-trade deal, though it would have cost them Shumper, their best young prospect and their best perimeter defender.