Music: {allcanada} NASH'S ONLY CONCERN IS GETTING SUNS INTO THE PLAYOFFS

The trade deadline has come and gone, and, for now at least, Steve Nash is still a Sun.
And whether that changes in the near future or not, the two-time league MVP couldn't be less concerned.

"I'm open to whatever they want to do. If they want to move me, I'm open to that. If they want to keep me, I'm open to that too," said Nash, who should receive one of the loudest ovations of any player this season - visitor or home team - when he leads his Suns into the ACC to play the Raptors. "I like to just focus on what's being asked of me and not focus on what the possibilities are out there.

"A lot of people are like 'why don't you ask for a trade?' Well, you could ask for a trade, and go to team that's in a worse position than you're in. I try to be thankful for what I have: great teammates, great coach, a city that I've had a lot of success and enjoyment in and just want to play until they tell me to move on."

After a thrilling run to the Western Conference Finals last year (where they fell short to the eventual champion Lakers), the team has been basically gutted and reconstructed. Gone is Nash's devastating pick-and-roll partner Amar'e Stoudemire, who signed in the offseason for max money in New York.

And in this season, the team was shaken up again, as Hedo Turkoglu - acquired in the offseason for Leandro Barbosa - and then-leading scorer Jason Richardson were dealt to Orlando, bringing back Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat.

The deadline saw another shakeup, as Nash's popular backup Goran Dragic was dealt to the Rockets for Aaron Brooks.

Much of the hope and speculation in basketball circles was that the Suns would do the 'right' thing, and deal Nash to a contender for a chance to chase an elusive title - or better yet, an elusive shot at the NBA title. Nash owns the dubious title of most career playoff games without a Finals appearance at 118.

But the 37-year-old doesn't concern himself with things that are out of his control.

"Right now it's a really difficult time to say whether I'll be Sun beyond this contract or just till the summer. I think that's why I just try to focus on this team and try to play everyday and prepare and be ready to go and be a great teammate and enjoy this opportunity," Nash said. "Because I can't foresee the future, there's so many variables, it's very difficult to predict. So I'm just going to enjoy the moment."

Raptors head coach Jay Triano remains unsurprised at Nash's ability to keep playing at a tremendous level. His statistics are nearly on par with his back-to-back MVP seasons, averaging close to 17 points per game and better than 11 assists, he's also enjoying another stellar Nash shooting year: better than 50 per cent from the field, 40 per cent from three point range and 90 per cent from the free throw line. It will be just the 10th time in NBA history that a player will have enjoyed that sort of shooting season, and Nash will own five of them.

"When you see how fit he is and how strong he is through the core – he may be one of the strongest people through the core, in the league. And that's why he can stop and turn and do things equally as well with his left hand as his right hand," Triano said. "And he's super competitive. He uses that competitive edge to make sure that his body stays in the shape that it does so that he can compete through the rigors of an 82-game schedule."

"I feel as good or better than I've ever felt," said Nash, who, coming into Friday, had played 1,068 career regular season games on his resume. "As far as the battle of attrition of an NBA season, I feel great right now. We're all carrying injuries, we're all tired, we all have our nights where we don't have it. Generally, I feel I've got as much to give as I've ever had and I don't feel like I'm anywhere near a point in the season where I need to exhale."

What he is trying to do, however, is will the Suns into the playoffs. Since he came into the league in 1996, Nash has only missed the postseason three times. Phoenix is currently sitting in 10th, two games off of the eighth-place Grizzlies. And getting the chance to compete for a title is still what drives him.

"It's very important to have a chance, and be in the playoffs. I don't want to just be on a team that isn't going to be in the playoffs," he said. "At the same time, I feel like I've never really sort of been on that team. I've always been on a team that's had a chance. And that's all I ask for is a chance. And I'm going to keep fighting with this team until they tell us we didn't make it or we made it. And if we did make it, we're going to try to go out there and beat someone in the first round."

And if he fails to make it this year, it's far too soon to bring up any talk of retirement.

"I still love to play I still feel like I'm playing as well as I've ever played, so, I don't have any plans to stop," he said.