Steve Nash is loyal. For reasons most don't understand, he has said he won't ask for a way out of Phoenix and won't demand a trade.

But if there aren't improvements to the roster this offseason? Then Nash could be gone. He's a free agent this summer and at 38 years old, he's not going to mess around forever as part of some eternal rebuild in the desert. Here's what he said on the Dan Patrick Show today:

"It's going to be interesting this summer," he said. "Being a free agent, I didn't really want to leave at the deadline. I felt I owed it to my teammates and the Suns organization and the fans. I could possibly be back for sure. but that will be more interesting than the trade deadline.

"I definitely do want to win," he continued. "I'm not going to come back to the Suns if there isn't an improvement. If they're not ambitious and they're not looking to upgrade the roster seriously. And I think they are. They'll have a lot of flexibility in free agency. I think I've been standing pat so they could do some things this summer. I think they'll become a definite possibility for me, but I do want to win and I do want to consider all my options."

Nash said from what he heard from the Suns, they weren't close to trading him at the deadline. But with a roster in flux and his age bearing down on him, he's not waiting around forever for the roster to be rebuilt. He wants to win, simple as that.

Being a free agent, I didn't really want to leave at the deadline," he said. "I felt I owed it to me teammates and the Suns organization and the fans."

Nash said he hasn't talked to former teammate Dirk Nowitzki about teaming up again in Dallas, but didn't rule that out as a possibility. He was also asked if he'd consider the Heat if they came calling this summer.

"I'd listen. I love what they're doing there," he said. "I have a tremendous respect for them and I'd definitely listen."

Even at 38, Nash is leading the league in assists and has the Suns improbably competing for the eight-seed in the West. He's said before he could play into his forties, but he's not interested in doing that on a team that's not going anywhere. It sounds like he wants to finish with the Suns, but he's not going to wait on them.

Nash isn't going to make the same kind of splash as the others, mainly because he's 38 and not considered the kind of superstar any more like some of the other guys, but he's no different. He's a free agent and could walk from the Suns this summer, unless they improve. Just like any other big name free agent like Dwight Howard or whoever, he's got a message -- get better or I'm gone.