The Los Angeles Clippers are at risk of potentially losing Kawhi Leonard for nothing in return as he enters the final season of his three-year, $150 million extension he signed with the team. With the Clippers expected to go younger, there seems to be a general perception around the league that the front office will entertain offers for the two-time Finals MVP.
Amid such speculations, it has been reported that Masai Ujiri, the Dallas Mavericks’ president, is interested in reuniting with Kawhi Leonard as the two franchises have also apparently engaged in trade talks.
“Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri has interest in reuniting with Kawhi Leonard, multiple league sources with knowledge of Dallas’ thinking told The Athletic,” wrote Christian Clark, Dan Wokie, and Sam Amick.
“The Mavericks and LA Clippers have discussed a deal that would send the seven-time All-Star to Dallas for a package that would include P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, and draft picks, said league sources granted anonymity to describe deliberations still in progress,” the report read.
The Toronto Raptors were the first to have reported interest in acquiring Kawhi Leonard after reports suggested that he would only be willing to sign a contract extension with his former teams in San Antonio (the Spurs) and Toronto.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake L. Fischer reported that the Raptors and the Clippers had engaged in trade talks for Kawhi Leonard over this weekend.
“The Raptors and Clippers have held real trade conversations this weekend on sending Kawhi Leonard back to Toronto, according to the league sources,” wrote Fischer on X.
“In discussions with the Clippers, sources say Toronto has expressed a preference in dealing Brandon Ingram to Los Angeles, as opposed to RJ Barrett,” Fischer further added.
As per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports, the Raptors’ interest in Leonard is conditional based on the asking price. They are not expected to go beyond offering a single first-round pick to make this deal happen.
“The Raptors’ interest in Kawhi was described to me as ‘real but conditional.’ Contingent on price, obviously. Hard to see them paying more than last time, so think similar framework: secondary star (Ingram), former lottery pick (Dick), 1st-rounder in the following year’s draft,” he wrote on X.
Clutchpoints’ Tomer Azarly and Brett Siegel later reported that the Clippers have no interest in Brandon Ingram and would want a young player like Collin Murray-Boyles to get the deal done.
“Collin Murray-Boyles is a young, key asset that the Clippers would likely seek in a Leonard trade, yet to this point, the Raptors have left Murray-Boyles out of all discussions. The Clippers showed no interest in Toronto’s package revolving around Ingram and did not initiate conversations nor propose a counteroffer,” they wrote, stating anonymous team sources.
But according to the latest intel from Fischer and Stein, the Raptors are still insisting on only using Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and one first-round pick to get the deal done.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are not considered a realistic landing destination for Leonard, especially since Leonard has not expressed that he would extend his contract there.
Fischer and Stein’s latest intel also suggested that the league office is not expected to intervene in any trades due to the ongoing investigation into circumventing the salary cap. The Mavericks could use the same ‘one-and-done’ approach as the Raptors did with Leonard when Ujiri was the President of that team.
Moreover, Ujiri could hope to use his past relationship with Leonard to convince him to stay longer. Therefore, it is still realistically possible that the Mavericks land the two-time NBA champion in a trade.
My concern is that a young team like the Mavericks may not have enough to convince the Clippers to let him go and still hope to contend next season. And if a package around Brandon Ingram was not enough, I seriously doubt that a package around Klay Thompson would do the trick for the Mavericks.
Clutchpoints’ Azarly and Siegel also reported that the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard now have a mutual interest in signing an extension. Anything can happen at this point. He could stay with the Clippers for all we know after all this buzz. But it will certainly be fascinating to see what the Clippers decide to do with their star this summer.
