Kyrie Irving will reportedly meet with the Suns among other teams when NBA free agency begins on Friday, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
The news comes as Phoenix seeks to build a super team that includes Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and its most recent acquisition in Bradley Beal. However, with the addition of Beal, the possibility of signing Irving could be difficult due to the league’s salary cap and collective bargaining agreement.
Currently, the Suns can only offer Irving a veteran minimum contract because of the franchise’s financial obligations tied into Durant, Beal, Booker and Ayton. However, Phoenix could acquire the eight-time All-Star through a sign-and-trade deal. Doing so would reunite Irving and Durant, who were teammates with the Nets until both were dealt ahead of the trade deadline last season.
That would force the Suns to send away one of their four stars, which would likely be Ayton. Despite the rumors that the franchise was seeking to go in a different direction with Ayton this offseason, Haynes reported Sunday that Phoenix has no plans of trading the 24-year-old.
Instead, the franchise has a strong desire to see Ayton play alongside the trio of Booker, Durant and Beal.
Thursday’s report concerning Irving comes a day after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Irving is expected to sign a new max deal with the Mavericks when the league’s free agency period opens. Irving is eligible for a five-year, $272 million max deal.
“The market for Kyrie Irving … legitimate places that he would leave Dallas for that make sense, that are available to him, it’s extremely limited, perhaps almost nil,” Wojnarowski said on SportsCenter. “The full expectation is that he returns in Dallas. The question will be what kind of deal does he go back on? How many years on a contract? I don’t think the money will be as much of an issue as how many fully guaranteed years are there for Kyrie Irving?
“I think that’s where the negotiation is going to be between he and the Mavericks. But if he wants to maximize his money on this deal, the place to do that is in Dallas.”
The 31-year-old was traded to Dallas before the NBA’s trade deadline. In 20 games with the Mavericks, Irving 27 points, five rebounds and six assists.
