The Dallas Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline last year with the hopes that they could convince him to stick around long-term. While the Mavs do seem like the favorite to retain his services as he enters unrestricted free agency this summer, a new report indicates that he’s at least going to do his due diligence before signing a new deal with the team.
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Irving is going to sit down with the Phoenix Suns right when the NBA’s free agency period begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. EST. Phoenix, of course, currently has Irving’s close friend and former teammate with the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant. Having said that, as Haynes noted, it would be incredibly difficult for Irving — who is eligible for a 5-year, $272 million extension with the Mavericks — to come to terms on a deal with the Suns.
It would be difficult for the Suns to add Irving due to the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. If they acquired him via sign-and-trade, they would be hard-capped at the first salary-cap apron, which is currently projected to be $172 million. They also aren’t expected to have access to the $12.4 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception or the $5 million taxpayer mid-level exception at the moment.
Perhaps the two sides could work out some sort of sign-and-trade deal for Irving with Deandre Ayton — it’s worth mentioning that the Suns and the Mavericks were reportedly close to a deal during the NBA Draft that would have sent Ayton to Dallas, although there’s no indication that the teams would rekindle those conversations with Irving involved. Earlier this week, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported that Irving hopes that his next team will be the final one for which he plays during his NBA career.
