Two Duke basketball stars cash in on massive payday

No one has ever turned down a massive payday before and a pair of former Duke basketball standouts have seen their bank accounts grow over the last week.

It started during the final week of the NBA regular season as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat, 111-92, earning the franchise its 50th win of the season. More importantly, it triggered a $1 million bonus for Kyrie Irving.

Irving had a bonus in his contract stating that if the team won at least 50 games, he would get the million. It would also be the last game Dallas won in the regular season and the last game the former No. 1 overall pick would play before the postseason.

It culminated a streak of 31 straight games played for Kyrie Irving, which saw the Mavericks go 24-7 during that stretch. The team is 39-19 in games he has played in this season, averaging 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per contest on 49.7-percent shooting.

Irving will lead Dallas into battle in the highly anticipated series against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.

However, he was not the only Duke basketball player to get boost in salary after the Phoenix Suns and Grayson Allen agreed on a 4-year, $70 million extension.

Allen, in his first season with the franchise, averaged a career-high 13.5 points per game on 46.1-percent shooting from 3-point range, which led the NBA. He has been a very consistent presence for the Suns this season that has dealt with injuries to stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

He is currently finishing a 2-year, $18.7 million contract that he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks prior to the 2022-23 season, which he was eventually traded to the Suns in a 3-team trade that shipped Damien Lillard to Milwaukee.

Phoenix will play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs.