The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly were preparing to sign Steve Nash if he had been able to agree to a contract buy-out with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Nash announced his retirement on Saturday after 18 years years in the NBA, and reports earlier this month suggested that he wanted to retire last summer but the Lakers persuaded him not to.
While their strategy was to use his contract to their advantage in a trade deal, the Cavs seemingly wanted the veteran on their roster as they go in pursuit of a championship this year.
However, while it is a mute point now that the 41-year-old will no longer play, it is certainly still an interesting situation to discuss had he completed a move to Cleveland.
“League sources told ESPN.com earlier this month that LeBron James‘ Cleveland Cavaliers — who happen to have two of the biggest Nash admirers on Earth in their front office, in David Griffin and former teammate Raja Bell — let it be known to longtime Nash agent Bill Duffy that they would love to give the old man a whirl as a short-minute backup to Kyrie Irving if Nash wanted to seek a buyout from the Lakers after the trade deadline passed with no deal,” Marc Stein of ESPN reports.
At the time, Nash insisted that he was still confident in his ability to have a great game, but given his injury woes and age, he conceded that it wouldn’t be a consistent contribution.
Having his experience and knowledge around the team in itself would have arguably been beneficial to the likes of Irving who is preparing for his first trip to the post-season this year.
Nevertheless, it was also suggested that Nash had no intention of leaving the Lakers for another team, as after two years of battling injuries and still being paid, it would have undoubtedly weighed heavy on him to then go and perform elsewhere and help a different team win.
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