Kyrie Irving plans to meet with the Suns when free company opens. But they do not have a way to pay him.
The Suns have 4 gamers on massive contracts even with out Irving. Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton mix to make practically $163M, which is slightly below the luxury-tax line of $165M with simply 4 gamers.
That means Phoenix may solely supply Irving a veteran minimal deal with out ditching one of many massive 4 — almost certainly Ayton — however a proposed draft-night deal for the previous No. 1 fell by means of.
Even if they may transfer Ayton’s contract to clear house for Irving, it is nonetheless unclear whether or not having three high-scoring guards in Irving, Beal and Booker can be the best strategy for Phoenix. If you embody Durant, these gamers mixed to take 76 photographs per sport final yr, whereas the Suns’ complete group averaged 90 per sport.
The actual takeaway is that Irving or his brokers are clearly making an attempt to create leverage to stress the Dallas Mavericks to give him the contract he wished. It’s very comparable to the doubtful report that Irving wished Dallas to commerce for LeBron James final yr (King James wasn’t trade-eligible) or when he claimed he would play with the Lakers for the $6M mid-level exception final summer time. (He opted into his $36M deal as a substitute.)
The most rational touchdown spot for Irving continues to be the Dallas Mavericks. But after trades for Durant and Beal, Phoenix has spent so massive that any Suns rumor is now routinely believable. And thus, the right group to create leverage, regardless of how unrealistic.
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