Although Steve Nash did not contribute much to the Los Angeles Lakers in the past two years due to injuries, the team did not act on a stretch provision that allowed them to waive him during the summer.
In a report by Yahoo! Sports, the Lakers has chosen to simply let the deadline pass on the provision at the end of August 2014 and keep Steve Nash's contract. This means he will be staying in Los Angeles and does not have to join another NBA team as he gets paid the remaining $9.7 million of his contract. Nash was surprised by the team's non-move and shared that he aims to return to the court as soon as possible.
According to NBC Sports, the Lakers might have decided to keep Nash, considering the fact that they were not able to acquire key players in the 2014 free agent market, such as Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and LeBron James. Had they chosen to waive Nash before September 2014, they could have extended his salary in the next three years or only paid $3.2 million per year, as provided in their collective bargaining agreement
Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reported, "The team considered increasing its spending power by stretching Nash's salary, but when its top free-agent targets signed elsewhere, the Lakers chose instead to protect their cap space over the next two summers - stick with the NBA's oldest player a final season." Nash missed 99 of 164 with Los Angeles due to back problems, nerve issues and a leg injury.
The Lakers were not truly big contenders in the free agent market in 2014. They had to deal with Kobe Bryant's giant contract, a potential big contract for Pau Gasol, who subsequently left the team, and other cap issues like Nash's contract. Paying Nash in full would allow them more cap flexibility in the next two seasons. Bryant will be paid until 2016, then the Lakers will have the money they need to acquire new talent and better players.
In an article on Lakersnation.com, fans are still speculating whether Nash will be part of the starting five in the upcoming regular NBA season. New head coach Byron Scott will have to decide between Nash and Jeremy Lin. At this point, Lin might have more to offer than the aging Nash, who averaged 6.8 points and 5.7 assists in 20.9 minutes per game in the past season. Nash is 40 years old while Lin is 25.
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