I don't think this is a question where speculation -- no matter how speculative -- will lead anywhere anymore. It's been asked before, and as much as I hate to say it, the answer is still that it is unlikely, but not impossible. If a future Nexus phone reaches Verizon, it will likely not be a top priority. In order for the phone to receive the treatment it deserves on Big Red, it needs to be worth it to Verizon. Until the Nexus phones hold a comparable market placement (whether it be in direct market share or consumer attention/recognition/knowledge) to the flagship Verizon phones of the primary Android manufacturers, the Nexus line doesn't offer Verizon the incentives it looks for in new devices.
Google has made a significant shift over the past six months in the branding and meaning of 'Nexus.' No longer is it just a new phone each year to showcase what's new in Android; 'Nexus' is now a line of devices running a smooth, 'pure' version of Google's mobile operating system with exemplary integration with its services such as Google Now. Furthermore, the marketing push and commercialization/recognition efforts are now underway. This shift by Google is what will push -- and already
is pushing -- the Nexus line forward, and this shift is what will eventually build the Nexus line to the point where it can stand in the same crowd as the S3 and RAZR MAXX HD in Verizon's eyes.
It's a tipping point. Once that point is reached, we should see a bit more harmony between Google and Verizon.
Also, there are technical considerations to keep in mind. I'm going to include a quote from
Andy Rubin here, via The Verge.
?We certainly have a desire to offer devices on every carrier on the planet,? Rubin said. ?The tactical issue is GSM vs. LTE. A lot of the networks that have deployed LTE haven?t scaled completely yet ? they?re hybrid networks. They?ll do their old thing and they?ll do LTE, which means the devices need both radios built into them.?
?For now we?re gonna sit back and watch those networks evolve. Two radios in a device right now certainly raises the cost, and diminishes battery life.? This point seems to frustrate him. ?When we did the Galaxy Nexus with LTE we had to do just that, and it just wasn?t a great user experience. It?s possible to do it right, but that?s not where we?ll put our resources initially. Tactically, we want to make sure the devices are available for every network on the planet.?
The fewer builds of a device the easier it is to build, deploy, and maintain -- especially when each build may represent additional requirements to support, such as pushing updates to Verizon instead of to the devices.
Disclaimer: I'm tired. If something doesn't make sense, I'll fix it in the morning..