Odds of Deandre Ayton playing for Nets leap with Kyrie Irving uncertainty

With NBA free agency officially commencing at 3 p.m. Arizona time on Thursday, oddsmakers are projecting where both unrestricted and restricted free agents will be playing next season.

One of those players, Phoenix Suns RFA center Deandre Ayton, is favorited to either stay in the Valley or leave for the Brooklyn Nets for the 2022-23 campaign, per DraftKings Sportsbook on Monday.

The former No. 1 overall pick out of Arizona in 2018 is currently listed at +130 odds to re-sign with his current team, while the Nets are right behind the Suns at +250.

For those not fluent in sports gambling language, +130 odds means that a $100 bet would net the bettor $130 in profit if Ayton were to remain with the Suns, while +300 would see a profit of $250 if the four-year pro took his talents to Brooklyn.

Ayton was listed at +4,000 earlier on Monday, according to Evan Sidery, which would net a $100 wager a whopping $2,200 if anybody was able to make the bet at those odds.

The sportsbook doesn’t state how exactly Ayton would end up in Brooklyn, which would be in a sign-and-trade deal.

Brooklyn is currently waiting on All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to make his decision as to whether or not he will opt into his $36.5 million option, with Wednesday at 2 p.m. Arizona time being the deadline.

Irving could elect to opt out and sign a $6 million taxpayer midlevel contract with another team, which would allow him to reach a long-term deal next offseason.

And should the former Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics guard switch to his fourth team since 2017, all eyes would turn to 10-time All-NBA wing Kevin Durant, who still has four years and $192.5 million left on his contract that expires when he will be 38 years old.

The Nets are prepared to lose both All-Stars this offseason, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

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