Kyrie Irving is going to re-sign with the Dallas Mavericks. It’s a marriage of convenience if nothing else, Irving wants to get paid and Dallas — which traded for him at the deadline last year — is the only team willing to pay him anywhere near what he wants.
That’s not stopping Irving from meeting with the Suns at the start of free agency, reports Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report/TNT.
NBA star Kyrie Irving intends to meet with the Phoenix Suns when the free agency period begins on June 30, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. https://t.co/9KOjnqMu0N
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 29, 2023
This is a rather naked attempt by Irving and his team to pressure the Mavericks into giving up more years and dollars. However, for the sake of saying we explored this, here is what would have to happen for Irving to join the Suns:
Irving agrees to play for the veteran minimum of $3 million.
That’s it. A sign-and-trade sending Ayton to the Mavericks for Irving is not an option because it hard caps the Suns at a number they are already bumping up against with the contracts of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Meaning Irving would still have to take a massive pay cut to make it work and it would get even harder to round out the Phoenix roster. Don’t forget, this is the same Irving who opted in with the Nets rather than leave to play for less (like the taxpayer midlevel from the Lakers), then pushed for a trade when Brooklyn would not give him the extension he wanted. He’s not taking that pay cut.
Irving also is rumored to be meeting with the Houston Rockets, who have the cap space to sign him to a max contract. However, the Rockets have focused elsewhere in free agency, targeting Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Kyle Kuzma as they pivot from rebuilding to winning more. There has never been a lot of interest in Irving from Houston’s end.
Irving wants the five-year, $272 max the Mavericks can give him. Dallas reportedly isn’t interested in the full max, and that appears to be more about the years than the money per year. How long does Dallas want to be in the Kyrie Irving business? Three years tops? Irving is doing his best to create leverage in those negotiations.
So he will meet with the Suns and have a nice dinner, but don’t expect a deal. This is all about leverage.
