As free agency opens here in the NBA, the center of attention—or should we say centre?—is Suns point guard Steve Nash, who is getting an awful lot of attention for a 38-year-old guy with 15 years of NBA traction on him. The epicenter of that attention: Toronto, where the Raptors are building out a plan for Nash that not only includes multiple years as a player, but a post-retirement agenda, too, a source told Sporting News.

The Raptors are one of the few teams in position to sign Nash to a multi-year deal at something more than the mid-level exception. Toronto comes into the offseason with cap space, but could potentially create more by using the amnesty clause on veteran point guard Jose Calderon. A source says that Toronto will be willing to give Nash a short deal, with team options, in the range of $10-$14 million per year.

Toronto general manager Bryan Colangelo has already wooed Nash once, when Colangelo was with Phoenix and sold Nash on leaving Dallas for the Suns, in 2004. Now, Colangelo has extra incentive to offer Nash—he is a Canadian national icon who could be at the reins of the only NBA team north of the border. Beyond that, Nash could have endless post-career opportunities in the city.

via Sean Deveney of the Sporting News