One star NBA free agent reportedly facing limited market

There will likely be an “extremely limited” market for Kyrie Irving outside of Dallas, Adrian Wojnarowski said during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter (YouTube link). According to Wojnarowski, that’s why the “full expectation” is that Irving will re-sign with the Mavericks.

“The question will be what kind of a deal does he goes back on,” Wojnarowski said. “How many years on a contract? I don’t think the money will be as much of an issue as how many fully guaranteed years are there for Kyrie Irving. I think that’s where the negotiation is going to be between he and the Mavericks.”

While there are no obvious non-Mavericks suitors for Irving at this point, it sounds like the All-Star guard intends to explore all his options. Appearing on NBA Today on Wednesday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said Irving plans to take meetings when free agency opens on Friday. According to Shelburne, the mercurial guard hopes to end up with a team that “feels like home” and one where he can spend the rest of his playing career.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

• No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama won’t take part in the California Classic Summer League in early July, but will be joining the San Antonio Spurs when they travel to the Las Vegas Summer League, the team announced Wednesday. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee has the story.
• Under new Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, players will have to earn their minutes, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, who writes that winning will be prioritized over player development in “phase two” of the team’s rebuild. “A lot of the (playing) time and positions, those things have been given, so to speak, with the young guys,” Udoka said on Monday. “There’ll be changes now in phase two. We are adding some more young pieces but also adding some veterans. So I think this will kind of raise the level of competition. Nothing is handed out anymore.”
• Lucas Finton of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the details on Ja Morant‘s latest dealings with the legal system. According to Finton, the Memphis Grizzlies guard has filed a motion to dismiss an ongoing civil suit related to the punch Morant threw at a then-17-year-old during a pickup basketball game last summer.
• The New Orleans Pelicans believe they got the “best shooter in the draft” when they used the No. 14 overall pick on Jordan Hawkins, general manager Trajan Langdon told reporters, including Christian Clark of NOLA.com, on Tuesday.