Report: Mavericks discussing a trade to bring in Kawhi Leonard

With the 2026 NBA Draft in the rearview, the Dallas Mavericks are shifting focus to free agency and trades to refurbish their roster around Cooper Flagg. A number of sources are now reporting that Dallas has not only inquired about the availability of Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, but that the two teams have had discussions about an actual framework for a trade.

The rumored transaction would be Dallas sending out P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and draft capital in exchange for Leonard. Despite Leonard’s age and injury history, and subject to the actual draft capital in question, this is arguably a no-brainer for the Mavericks.

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Thompson is 36-years old and came to the team with a desire to play alongside Luka Doncic and to be the finishing piece on a championship contender. Then Nico Harrison happened. Thompson no longer fits the timeline of Flagg and newly drafted rookie Morez Johnson, Jr. as the Mavericks shift to a future-focused approach, as per President Masai Ujiri in his introductory press conference.

Washington is a 27-year old in his prime and is just about to kick off a team-friendly contract extension. He was an integral part of the Mavericks’ run to the NBA Finals in 2024, but was well-served playing alongside Doncic. With all due respect to Washington, he is not the caliber of player Leonard is, and if the team is going to remain wing-heavy, upgrading from Washington to Leonard is a clear benefit from the talent and production standpoints.

The knocks on Leonard are his age (35 years old on Monday) and injury history. While there is simply no sugar-coating the injuries and time missed, Leonard actually played nine more games last year than Washington did. With the exception of 2024-2025, Leonard has played no fewer than 52 games in the past five seasons, including outings of 65 games and 68 games. Leonard would also be a rental. He is an unrestricted free agent following this season, which may be a good thing depending on how you look at it – he could make the Mavs competitive next year, then clear a massive ($50M) contract off the books for next offseason.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/report-mavericks-discussing-trade-bring-005133549.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-29 00:51:00

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