Could Steve Nash really end up with the Toronto Raptors?

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors of Steve Nash ending up with the Toronto Raptors and it probably won’t be the last. But could it actually happen? Well, maybe.

A hoopsworld.com report floated the idea again Sunday and cited “multiple league sources” who believe Nash could be on his way to the Raps. While there hasn’t been any definitive evidence beyond that, it might not be that crazy.

Nash is 39 years old and in the second year of a $27 million three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. His much-hyped move to Los Angeles hasn’t gone the way he had hoped. The Canuck was held to just 50 games last year averaging 12.7 points and 6.7 assists and is struggling to cope with more nagging injuries early this season.  In four games, he’s averaging seven points and five assists while shooting 31 percent from the floor.

“I’m hanging in there. It’s slowing coming around,” Nash told reporters after Los Angeles’ loss Sunday. “It’s a bit of a struggle lately. I feel like I can still contribute and make things happen and I also feel like I can improve as the season goes on.”

But how much time can the Lakers wait around for that? They’re already holding out hope that Kobe Bryant can return to full health off his Achilles injury and he just happens to be 35 years old as well. If Kobe can’t come back as soon as hoped, or he struggles when he does get back on the court, the Lakers are cooked. In that case, you could see them moving high-priced veterans – ie. Nash.

The fit with Toronto could work, too. The Raptors have an absolutely brutal early schedule and will be hard pressed to get out of this month near .500. With new GM Masai Ujiri watching from the press box, he will put a stamp on this team in a major way if he doesn’t see results. There’s already talk that Rudy Gay could be playing his way out of town (see Friday’s 6-for-23 performance) and his isn’t the only name floating around in trade rumors.

If things go south for the Raps quickly this season, maybe bringing in Nash makes some sense. His contract will be off the books soon enough and it’s a good publicity play with the Canadian returning home. That’s the sort of thing the Raptors are already trying to do with Drake as their global representative and the NBA All-Star game just around the corner in 2016.

So, while bringing in an aging point guard with injury problems may not make much sense on the court, it could make sense everywhere else. Stranger things have happened.

The Raps are back in action Tuesday when they host LeBron James and the Miami Heat.