Sources: Suns had interest in Kyrie Irving sign-and-trade earlier this offseason
The Suns don’t have much trade capital left after acquiring Bradley Beal from the Wizards. So it’s fair to assume that they can’t make a trade for a top player like Kyrie Irving. But it’s worth noting that Phoenix had interest in Irving earlier in the offseason.
The Suns were among the teams to reach out to Dallas about a potential sign-and-trade for Irving earlier in the offseason, per sources familiar with the matter. Dallas, presumably, wasn’t interested in what the Suns offered at the time. If the Mavs were blown away by the offer, logic says that Beal wouldn't be a Sun today.
With Phoenix presumably off the table and the Lakers lacking requisite assets for a sign-and-trade, it seems more and more likely that Irving will re-sign with Dallas on a multi-year deal. NBA reporter Marc Stein noted that Houston could have interest in Irving. League sources confirmed that Irving is on Houston’s radar. As of earlier in the offseason, the club was operating with a goal of signing win-now players and compete in the 2023-24 season, a departure from the Rockets’ approach in the past three seasons. High-ranking members of the organization have preferred that approach. So Irving to Houston makes sense in that context.
One other note: opposing teams say the Mavericks have considered opportunities to trade out of the No. 10 pick to acquire a 3-&-D veteran and a pick later in the 2023 draft.
Speaking of the draft, several teams said UCF’s Taylor Hendricks and Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper have improved their draft stock in the pre-draft process. One team felt Hendricks could end up as the best shooter in the draft.
