The 2022-2023 NBA trade deadline deserves to be one of the most dramatic transfer periods in history. The two most famous deals are both related to the Brooklyn Nets, when Kyrie Irving left for the Dallas Mavericks and Kevin Durant also joined the Phoenix Suns a few days later.
Phoenix Suns want Kyrie Irving at trade deadline?
Among the teams participating in the transfer, Phoenix Suns is probably the big winner on trade deadline day. Bringing in Kevin Durant will help them become a serious contender, despite losing two versatile players, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, from the squad.
However, some sources said that Kevin Durant is not the only target that the Phoenix Suns are pursuing at the trade deadline. They also want to “go all in” for Kyrie Irving to combine the Brooklyn Nets’ superstar duo, along with Devin Booker, to form a worthy “Big-3” in the West region.
Accordingly, the Phoenix Suns are ready to give Brooklyn Nets defender Chris Paul along with a few second round picks to convince the Brooklyn Nets. If this deal is successful, the Phoenix Suns will give the Brooklyn Nets a huge amount of assets, including Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and many future first and second round picks.
However, the Phoenix Suns spent too much on Kevin Durant and their remaining exchange package is not as attractive as the Dallas Mavericks. Kyrie Irving came to the Texas team, while Kevin Durant still became a member of the Phoenix Suns.
What are the chances for the Phoenix Suns to combine Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant?
Despite the failure to recruit Kyrie Irving, it seems the Phoenix Suns have not given up hope. Some recent information shows that Kyrie Irving is still open to the possibility of a long-term commitment to the Dallas Mavericks. This means he can leave in the summer of 2023 as a free agent.
Theoretically, this could be the time for the Phoenix Suns to jump into the race to sign the 1992-born defender. However, the actual situation does not allow the Phoenix Suns to do that normally. They no longer have a salary fund when up to 4 players receive over 30 million USD per year in the 2023-2024 season.
Therefore, the Phoenix Suns definitely will not be able to sign Kyrie Irving on a free transfer. Their only hope lies in Kyrie Irving accepting a contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks and the two sides will conduct an exchange deal. This is also the direction that Kyrie Irving is aiming for, because he does not want to lose bird rights so he can receive a better income in the future.
However, this solution will also cause the Phoenix Suns to trade a lot of valuable assets. Kyrie Irving’s salary will be higher than the $36.7 million income he is receiving at the moment. This means that Chris Paul alone will not be able to balance the salary for an exchange deal.
The Phoenix Suns also no longer have a first round pick after trading for Kevin Durant. The second round picks may not be attractive enough to the Brooklyn Nets, while Landry Shamet or Cameron Payne are also not players with great potential.
For the Phoenix Suns, they want a combination of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in the lineup. However, this is probably just an “utopian dream”, especially when they were not able to achieve their goal at the trade deadline 2023.
However, with the current squad and reserve force intact, the Phoenix Suns are still an extremely formidable force in the NBA in the near future.
