Maybe not with the Phoenix Suns, but this movie is nothing out of the norm. Summers are now filled with Kyrie Irving headlines around where the eight-time All-Star can possibly end his career.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!After burning bridges with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, Irving now finds himself in a predicament no player of his stature should be in.
It was reported on Thursday that Irving, 31, will meet with the Suns in free agency. Irving is reportedly zoned in on returning to the Dallas Mavericks. A deal for Irving will more than likely include him agreeing to a sign-and-trade scenario.
Irving is a free agent this offseason, and he has a wide array of potential suitors. Still, there’s a reason why the Suns, and practically no team aside from Dallas, should be in a rush to sign him.
The Upside for the Suns
The one outlier between Dallas and Phoenix consists of a future Hall of Famer in Kevin Durant.
It’s been a wide discussion that Irving and Durant have a desire to reunite under different circumstances. The Nets project became an abysmal, and the same could be said with the Suns potentially.
First, acquiring Irving would make the Suns the most pure-talented starting core in history. Phoenix recently acquired Bradley Beal to pair with Devin Booker and Durant.
Adding Irving would unlock an unguarded amount of scoring options difficult to guard for any team in the league.
Yet as history shows with Irving and many other superstar acquisitions, this is only good on paper. The want and need margin for Irving is beyond visible.
Style Clash Among Guards
Booker is capable of being a combo guard. He’s coming off a 27.8 point and 5.5 assist average per game last season. A deeper look shows Booker having a 27.3 percent assist rate.
There’s little to no disagreement that Booker can run the offense without Irving’s availability. Still, Beal is added into the equation for good measure.
Beal is coming off last season averaging 5.4 assists per game, nearly identical to Booker. Both Beal and Booker are score-first guards. Even so, they possess the ability to distribute at a high level.
Irving fits exactly into that mold, giving the Suns a log-jammed backcourt with similar styles of play and no cohesion.
Before trading for Beal, obtaining Irving would have been a priority. Now, it seems excessive and saturated, with the possibility of hindering the Suns’ championship chances.
Chemistry Issues
Of all the stars in the league, Irving has earned the “diva” title over recent years. With Phoenix meeting with Irving, it’s obvious that there’s approval from the core of Booker and Durant.
Yet once again, this scenario isn’t new. The Nets attempted two Big 3s with substitutes of Ben Simmons for James Harden. There’s also the turmoil state that Irving left the Celtics with in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Above all, no one can forget the infamous divorce between Irving and LeBron James in Cleveland. Safe to say, Irving isn’t to date capable of coexisting with other stars. His relationship with Mavericks forward Luka Dončić is to be determined.
In the end, the Suns make a big swing on acquiring Beal to bolster their star power. Now, they shouldn’t be willing to throw it away or overdo it by adding Irving as well.
