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.
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.
There are two major points of curiosity here, however. Ujiri proclaimed the Mavs were thinking about the future and a move like this runs completely contrary to that notion. Leonard, Kyrie Irving and Flagg would be a formidable three-headed monster right now. Further, Dallas has very limited draft capital. They only have a first-round pick in 2027 if it falls into the top two slots (otherwise it goes to the Charlotte Hornets), a 2028 pick swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers 2029 pick. Unless the Clippers are desperate to move off Leonard’s sizable contract and are not demanding much in the way of first round picks, the draft capital part of the equation here is puzzling.
If Dallas and Los Angeles make this move, it adds a brand new and wholly unexpected wrinkle to the Mavericks’ plans. Everyone believed the team would be rebuilding over the next few years, but this move is for right now. It would leave Dallas as an “if” team – that is, if Irving returns to form and Leonard stays healthy, they could be legitimate contenders for the next couple of years.
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