NBA Trade Rumors 2012: Steve Nash Traded to LA...

The NBA trade rumors for 2012 were heating up involving Steve Nash, but now in a new report it appears he will in fact head to the LA Lakers from Phoenix Suns.

So much for those earlier Nash trade rumors to New York, Toronto, Dallas, or Miami trade rumors, it looks like he will in fact join Kobe Bryant in LA. Several sports analysts and organizations have tweeted about the news.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo NBA reported on his Twitter just moments ago:

"Source confirms: The Suns are sending Steve Nash to the Lakers for draft picks."

ESPN SportsCenter tweeted similar news, saying:

"Sources: @PhoenixSuns have consented to sign-and-trade Steve Nash to @Lakers for package of future picks (via @ESPNSteinLine)"

With this news appearing pretty much near official (barring some sort of interference from David Stern and other teams), it looks like the 2-time MVP will join Kobe and crew. The irony here is that the Lakers are rivals of the Suns, who had some heated playoff battles over the years. Just imagine what sort of treatment Nash may get when the Lakers play the Suns now?

However, beyond that story, is the bigger story, in that the Lakers become that more dangerous. Having two NBA MVPs on the same team is quite a feat, but having a guy with the abilities of Steve Nash to dish the ball to Kobe, or even receive open looks because of Kobe, makes the Lakers a threat in the West once again. The question is will they have enough to get by teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder with their young nucleus intact, or will the Lakers just be a fun team to watch during the season?

Do you think adding Steve Nash to the Lakers makes them title contenders from the West now?