Only a few days after the Brooklyn Nets acquired Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks, another blockbuster trade was completed with a superstar headed elsewhere.

The trade buzz surrounding Dwight Howard has been the only potential blockbuster deal to gain steam with the Los Angeles Lakers with the team willing to part with Andrew Bynum to land the superstar center. Even though the deal for Howard looked like a distinct possibility with the Nets no longer in the equation, the Lakers have gone in another direction for the time being by acquiring two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash via sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns.

Heading into free agency, there was a lot of talk about Nash and where he might land. The clear favorites appeared to be the Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks. With Nash spending his time in the off-season in the Big Apple and as a native of Canada, the two destinations made sense and had mutual interest.

Despite a three-year $36 million offer from the Raptors, Nash ultimately decided to head to the City of Angels with the prospect of winning a title alongside Kobe Bryant being too tempting to pass up on. Immediately after the trade was completed, Nash signed a three-year deal with the Lakers worth $27 million.

Even though it is three million less per year in comparison to the deal offered by the Raptors, playing in Los Angeles gives the veteran point guard a chance to contend for a title over the next three seasons and the ability to stay in close proximity to his family in Phoenix.

The acquisition of Nash finally gives the point guard they’ve been looking for to pair with Kobe and get this potent offense kicked into high gear. With this deal, the Lakers may have propelled themselves to the top of the list in terms of competing with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference.

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