Kyrie Irving and the Phoenix Suns had mutual interest before he was eventually dealt to the Dallas Mavericks. Irving appears to be happy joining the Mavericks, but he will be a free agent this offseason. With Kevin Durant joining the Suns via trade, the interest from Irving and Phoenix could be renewed.
“If you think this is over, it ain’t over,” said Brian Windhorst. “Kyrie really was interested in being in Phoenix, so just start thinking about that.”
The Suns will be over the salary cap in the 2023 offseason, so they would need the participation of the Mavericks with a sign-and-trade in order to acquire Irving.
Phoenix has explored a change at point guard from Chris Paul, who is only partially guaranteed next season at $15 million and the final season is a team option. The Suns have a potential trade chip Dallas would be interested in acquiring in Deandre Ayton. Phoenix was reluctant to extend Ayton in 2021 and forced him to sign an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers that they matched in his 2022 restricted free agency. Ayton’s future with the Suns remains unclear.