Because Steve Nash isn't the type of player to seek a trade, it is highly unlikely he will be dealt before the Feb. 24th deadline.

But the Suns have received calls from the Hawks, Magic, Blazers and Mavericks about the possibility of trading for Nash, according to sources. The Wolves and Raptors have also called about Nash's availability despite both of those teams being out of the playoff picture.

"The only reason you would ever even remotely consider trading Steve is if he came to you and said, 'I think I need to move on somewhere,' " says Alvin Gentry. "That would be the only reason. But to us, making that decision to trade him, I don't see why we would even think about it. You guys can keep talking about it, but we're not going to trade him. He's playing at such a high level. Why would we?

"How you gonna get value for him? Unless you're gonna go get Deron Williams or Chris Paul or somebody like that, tell me how. Why do we have to bottom out to rebuild our team? I don't see why you would want to bottom out and spend the next five years trying to get good again."

"I don't see how it makes any sense for us to move him," GM Lon Babby said. "I know that people think we ought to look to the future. And we're doing that. But if you look at the history of the teams that have sort of blown it up, as the expression goes, how successful have they been in recapturing [elite status] and how long does it take?

"I'm willing to put more faith in Grant Hill, Steve Nash and the players that we have than I am in a lottery ball," Babby continued. "It's easy to say blow it up, but show me the teams that have successfully done it and how long it took and how much luck was involved, because luck's involved in everything. I don't want to depend on fortuity. I'd rather depend on a two-time MVP."