Los Angeles Lakers News: Team Quietly Lets 'Stretch Provision' Pass on Nash

The Los Angeles Lakers quietly let the stretch provision pass on Steve Nash's contract. Nash's salary is now locked in to go against the Laker's cap space, while sparing Nash from being forced to retire. If the Lakers had decided to use the provision, they would still have to pay Nash the $9.7 million that he is owed, except that figure could be stretched out for three years, giving the team more cap space to work with.

While there were always some serious implications that Nash could be forced into retirement, the Lakers offseason tactics seemed to make the move unwarranted. With Kobe Bryant taking up a decent chunk of cap space, the Lakers seemed content to land mid-range free agents rather than one of the league's stars.

The mediocre offseason will hopefully act as a preemptive move that would allow the Lakers to strike big in the 2015-16 offseason. Nash will assuredly be cashed out at that point, with Kobe Bryant's future hanging in the balance. In all likeliness, Jeremy Lin could find himself as one of the central players in the near future Lakers.  Carlos Boozer is also nearing the end of his career, so it is doubtful he will be apart of the rebuilding process.

Focusing on the here and now, the Los Angeles Lakers might no be as bad off as many fans want to believe. Nash and Kobe have consistently 'missed' each other for on court playing time, with their varying injuries. Nash has missed 99 of 164 games with the Lakers, which can be insanely frustrating for fans. Kobe has also missed heavy-duty time, but with his previous services performed for the team, there is a lot more slack dished out to the future hall of famer.    

Both Nash and Kobe claim to be 100 percent healthy and ready for the season at hand. Nash will probably see a reduced team role, but it isn't out of the question for him to play himself back into a starting role, depending how Lin works out. Although a positional switch could somehow be made, both Nash and Lin require the ball most of the time, so it's hard to see the two guards pairing up together.

Nash has been given one last chance by the Lakers management to show that he was worth the hassle that has undoubtedly appeared to be one the worst Laker pickups of recent memory.