I remember this debacle well. Obviously the teams were in discussion, but it also seemed like through the media that it was an inevitability, and you had Kevin Millar giving an interview on ESPN saying "next year it'll be Alex Rodriguez throwing the ball over from short stop for a double play". I remember being astounded because, as great as A-Rod was, nomar was still a great player and a massive fan favorite at the time....and the injury bug hadnt really hit him.
Still the talk was that A-Rod was coming to be the man in Boston. When he started getting linked to NYY after the Boston deal fell through, it was made clear early on that Jeter was not moving from SS, and that A-Rod would have to adapt. Which was how to play the situation properly. Still, Nomar should have bucked up, but going from being worshipped by Sox fans to being yesterdays news in one offseason. Granted, he was bad in the 2003 postseason.
I see now looking back that the return was supposed to be a base of Manny and Jon Lester for A-Rod, which the Red Sox must be damn glad they didnt do.