NBA Free Agency: Kyrie Irving to Meet With Suns, Mavs
DALLAS — Kyrie Irving is one of the top free agents in this year's class and re-signing him remains the top priority for the Dallas Mavericks. After averaging 27.1 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 60 games, he remains one of the most talented offensive players in the NBA.
After the official open of free agency on June 30, Irving will be eligible to re-sign with the Mavs for a five-year deal worth $272.9 million. While the specifics remain to be seen, the expectation right now is that he will return to Dallas. If Irving signs elsewhere, the most he could sign for is a four-year deal worth $201.7 million.
"The market for Kyrie Irving [in terms of] legitimate places that he would leave Dallas for that makes sense [and] that are available to him [are] extremely limited," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on "SportsCenter" recently. "Perhaps almost nil. I think the full expectation is that he returns to Dallas."
According to Bleacher Report Irving plans to meet with the Phoenix Suns and the Mavs on June 30. There is also a chance the Houston Rockets could seek a meeting with him.
"Star point guard Kyrie Irving is expected to meet with the Phoenix Suns along with the Dallas Mavericks and possibly other teams when NBA free agency begins on June 30, league sources tell TNT/Bleacher Report. The Houston Rockets could seek a meeting as well, according to sources."
With a restrictive CBA set to come into effective, there would be a significant amount of challenges for the Suns to actually acquire Irving. There are new restrictions that teams operating in the luxury tax face when attempting to facilitate sign-and-trade agreements in addition to requiring cooperation with the player's previous team. Phoenix would be hard capped in the event of acquiring Irving, requiring him to sign a minimum contract to join the present configuration of their team.
As first reported by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne on Wednesday, Irving will meet with other teams in addition to the Mavs after free agency opens. The sentiment is that doing so could help to manufacture leverage for contract talks.
"Well, how do you get a max contract? You create leverage, and from what I'm told with sources close to this situation, he intends to take meetings when free agency opens," Shelburne said. "Now they have widely held expectations that he returns to Dallas, but what that contract looks like and what happens with these meetings that he intends to take when free agency opens is going to be very interesting."
Shelburne also reported that Irving seeks to find a team he considers "home" and could finish the rest of his NBA career playing for. At 31, a long-term contract would keep him signed through the remainder of the prime of his playing career, making it vital he maximizes his earnings and opportunity to contend for a title.
"Now, what's important to Kyrie Irving? From what I'm told, he wants to find a place where he can spend the rest of his career as a place that feels like home," Shelburne said. "And that's an interesting thing for a guy like Kyrie who's approaching a free agency where it's not really a lock for him to get that five-year max that the Dallas Mavericks are in a position to give him."
Throughout the free agency process, Irving has made clear that he has yet to reach a decision and that he will be in "no rush" to do so. However, doing so could put the Mavs in a position of unclarity regarding the non-taxpayer midlevel exception since they'd need to have an understanding of what Irving would sign for if he returns.
"I'm a free agent this summer, but I am in no rush to make a decision," Irving said during an Instagram Live earlier this offseason.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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