Steve Nash (Photo : REUTERS/LUCY NICHOLSON)
The Cleveland Cavaliers could have added recently retired point guard Steve Nash, if he agreed to a buyout with the Los Angeles Lakers this season, a source close to situation told Marc Stein of ESPN.
Nash, who announced his retirement from competitive basketball after 18 professional years in the NBA, would have been a target by Cavaliers general manager David Griffin and director of player administration & former teammate Raja Bell should he decide to leave the Lakers through buyout negotiations.
"As a bonus, in case he needs the pick-me-up, Nash can console himself with the knowledge that at least one pretty good basketball team still covets his services," according to the ESPN NBA insider.
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 after the trade deadline from whoever had him at that point.
Nash's retirement came in as a no-shocker given the number of games he missed the past three seasons due to injuries. Lakers head coach Byron Scott planned to use the two-time NBA MVP for 15 to 20 minutes, but never got a chance to coach the point guard in the regular-season after Nash suffered a season-ending back injury during training camp.
"I was really excited because I did see a lot of the Steve Nash that I had played against and coached against for so many years," Scott told Baxter Holmes of ESPN Los Angeles after learning Nash's retirement on Saturday.
The 41-year old Nash ended his illustrious basketball career as one of the finest playmakers in NBA history, averaging 14.3 points, 8.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 31 minutes per game over 18 seasons (Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Lakers). Aside from winning the top individual award twice, Nash holds the highest free-throw percentage in NBA history at 90.42 percent and a four-time member of the prestigious 50-40-90 club.
