Bill Simmons dropped a curious Suns note while talking about LeBron James’ move to the Philadelphia 76ers, and it centered on Kyrie Irving.
On The Bill Simmons Podcast with Zach Lowe, Simmons floated the idea that Phoenix had tried to trade for Irving in hopes of selling James on The Valley as the place to finish his career. The comment came as Simmons discussed other possible landing spots for LeBron and the fact that he will likely live in New York and commute to Philadelphia.
The idea is hard to pin down, but Simmons suggested the Suns were chasing Irving as part of a bigger pitch to James. If Phoenix had landed Irving, the fit would have been obvious on paper with Devin Booker, and Simmons even noted the possibility of LeBron ending up alongside a familiar face rather than staying in Los Angeles and just coming to Phoenix for games.
He also pointed to the broader league picture, saying the Eastern Conference is now deeper than the West, with the Thunder and Spurs among the teams making the West look less intimidating. In that scenario, James would have been avoiding the ghosts of his past, and Simmons said the current reality could leave him facing the Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs next season.
There was also a basketball angle beyond the star power. Simmons said James would have helped address some of Phoenix’s size issues, while also giving owner Mat Ishbia the kind of superstar addition he seems to want without paying the usual price of doing business.
Still, Simmons’ own framing made clear this may have been more loose talk than hard reporting. He said it would have made sense if the Dallas Mavericks had been willing to move Irving, but added that they were not.
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