On June 27, Kyrie Irving was "close" to re-signing with the Dallas Mavericks. The market for Irving was "extremely limited, perhaps almost nil" according to Adrian Wojnarowski. The Mavericks had not only the interest but also the financial ability to sign Irving. The maximum offer Dallas could offer was 5 years, $272.9 million.
However, a day later, it was reported that Irving would be meeting with the Phoenix Suns. While the Suns are incredibly cap-burdened, the appeal of joining a title-hunting superteam in Phoenix certainly has its appeals. Well, as the offseason continues to grow wilder, it's now being reported that Irving will have at least six free-agency meetings around the league.
Irving Interest Explodes
Per Bill Reiter of CBS Sports, Kyrie Irving has six meetings scheduled for June 30, when free agency officially begins. The first two meetings are the ones already reported. Irving will meet with the Mavericks as they try to retain the veteran they traded for in the middle of last season. Then there's the aforementioned Suns, with their superteam plans. However, the other four options represent a wide range of playing experiences for Irving. Whether it's with a title contender or rebuilding franchise, there's a little bit of everything on the table.
The Miami Heat are reportedly meeting with Irving, following their failure to trade for Bradley Beal and the continued uncertainty of Damian Lillard's availability. Meanwhile, the Rockets join the hunt for Irving after losing out on James Harden. Whether Irving is the preference to Fred VanVleet, or whether he will be a veteran leader alongside VanVleet, remains to be seen. Meanwhile, both LA teams are also meeting Irving. For the Lakers, it's likely they want a title run before they potentially lose LeBron to whichever team drafts Bronny. Meanwhile, the Clippers could be pulling a Suns and building a superteam, no matter the cost, to finally win them a championship.
Update: Kyrie Irving has re-signed with the Dallas Mavericks on a 3-year, $126 million contract.
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