Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri is interested in reuniting with Kawhi Leonard, multiple league sources familiar with Dallasโ thinking said. Athletic.
The Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers have discussed a deal that would send the seven-time All-Star to Dallas for a package including P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and draft picks, said league sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe discussions that are still ongoing.
Ujiri famously acquired Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 while Ujiri was managing the Toronto Raptors. This trade, which sent Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick, resulted in the Raptors winning the franchiseโs first and only championship that season.
Leonard averaged 30.5 points per game in the 2019 postseason and was named Finals MVP after the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games. He previously won another title with San Antonio, in which he was also named Finals MVP.
Leonard has one year remaining on his contract and is owed $50.3 million this coming season. He averaged 27.9 points per game last season, which came as the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz was investigating allegations that the Clippers were skirting the salary cap to pay him extra money.
If the Mavericks were able to pull off the trade, Leonard would partner with Kyrie Irving, who is set to return this fall after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, and Cooper Flagg, who last season became the first rookie since Michael Jordan to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
Ujiri said in May that every decision the Mavericks make will be โfuture-oriented.โ
โWe have a 19-year-old generational player on our roster,โ Ujiri said, referring to Flagg. โWe have to think like that. Weโre not going to make decisions based on winning today. I donโt think that would make sense for the organization.โ
The important point here is that the Mavericks do not control much of their draft future due to the moves they have made to bolster their roster around Luka Doncic. The Mavericks owe their 2027 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets unless they finish in the top 2, and they have no control over their 2029 first-round pick. Dallas has 2028 and 2030 first-rounders linked to pick swaps.
The Mavericks acquired Washington and center Daniel Gafford in separate transactions ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. These frontcourt additions helped spark Dallasโ momentum and finish the regular season, and the Mavericks were able to go all the way to the NBA Finals later that year, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in a five-game series.
Weeks after the Mavericks lost in the 2024 Finals, former general manager Nico Harrison acquired Thompson from the Golden State Warriors in a trade. Harrison said the Mavericks were โwithin a shotโ of winning a championship but traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers nine months later, ending any chance Dallas had of competing.
Thompson played just 21 games alongside Doncic. While Doncic performed at an MVP-candidate level for the Lakers last season, the 36-year-old Thompson moved to the bench for the Mavericks, averaging 11.7 points in 69 games.
Thompson is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $17.5 million this season. Washington, who arrived via trade in February 2024 and was a key starter on that final team, is set to begin a four-year, $88.8 million extension.
The Mavericks went 26-56 last season and were one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA, ranking 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions. Adding Leonard, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-NBA member, to the mix would certainly be a boost for Dallasโ offense.