Dallas had reason to check on Kawhi Leonard, but Toronto has the stronger package, the cleaner history and the extension path needed to make a deal realistic.
Sunday was a wild news cycle for Dallas Mavericks fans. The Athletic reported that the Mavericks had expressed trade interest in Kawhi Leonard and within hours, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer poured cold water on the idea.
Despite the relationship between Masai Ujiri and Leonard dating to the 2018 trade that produced a championship in Toronto, Stein and Fischer reported on The Stein Line that Dallas is not currently regarded as a plausible trade destination and has not been presented to Leonard as such.
A determined push from Dallas for Leonard would clash with the vision Ujiri outlined May 20 after firing Jason Kidd.
“Every decision we are going to make here is going to be future-based,” Ujiri said. “We have a 19-year-old generational player on our roster, so we have to think that way. We are not going to make decisions based on winning today.”
That vision and a 35-year-old star on one guaranteed year at $50.3 million are hard to square.
Fischer also reported a detail that effectively ends the Dallas conversation. Leonard is only willing to sign a contract extension with two potential destinations, the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs. Without the ability to offer an extension, any deal for Leonard makes him a one-year rental at $50.3 million, severely limiting what Dallas could realistically put on the table compared to other suitors.
By Monday morning, the real story had come into focus. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the Clippers and Raptors are seriously engaged in trade talks, with Leonard’s representatives informing other teams he only wanted to sign an extension with Toronto if the Clippers were not going to keep him long term. The Raptors’ expected package would include Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick and draft capital, a substantial offer the Clippers find intriguing.
There is also the asset problem. The Mavericks owe Charlotte their 2027 first-round pick unless it falls in the top two. Their 2028 and 2030 picks are tied to swap agreements with Oklahoma City and San Antonio. They have no control over their 2029 pick. Dallas simply does not have the pieces to compete with what Toronto is offering and Leonard has no interest in going there anyway.
Toronto is where this trade is heading and the Mavericks will spend their energy elsewhere.
