The Mavericks and Heat plan to make a “hard push” to add Clippers star Kawhi Leonard this summer and other teams will be in the mix as well, sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Leonard holds a player option for next season and is expected to bypass a $36MM salary to become a free agent.
Some executives consider Dallas to be in the best position to land Leonard because of the chance to play alongside Luka Doncic and the ability of the front office to create cap room or work out a sign-and-trade arrangement. Leonard has spent several years with Nike and has a strong relationship with longtime executive Nico Harrison, who was recently hired as the Mavericks’ general manager.
O’Connor notes that Leonard tried to talk Jimmy Butler into joining him with the Clippers two years ago before the team traded for Paul George. Butler opted for Miami, and O’Connor suggests that Leonard might have an interest in forming a partnership there. The Heat don’t have a realistic path for creating enough cap space to add Leonard in free agency and would have to rely on a sign-and-trade.
The Knicks do have plenty of cap room and will be in the market for any available star, O’Connor adds, and virtually any team would try to work out the details if Leonard shows an interest in joining them.
Even so, O’Connor states that there are plenty of indications Leonard will re-sign with the Clippers. He’s originally from Los Angeles and purchased a $17.1MM home in the area in March.
O’Connor foresees a lot of roster changes this summer, whether Leonard returns or not. Serge Ibaka has a $9.7MM player option, and Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum are both headed for unrestricted free agency. Keeping Jackson has become a priority after his stellar postseason, but the demand for him will be high and he could move beyond the Clippers’ price range.
L.A. is already in luxury tax territory, O’Connor notes, and adding more salary would be expensive. The team’s only path for signing a player will be the $5.9MM taxpayer midlevel exception. The Clippers have the No. 25 pick to offer in trade talks, but don’t own another first-rounder until 2027. They may try to move Luke Kennard, who has a four-year, $64MM extension that starts next season.
Knicks cap room $51.3m
Mavs cap room $24.5m if get rid of Hardaway
Heat $cap room 29.9m if get rid of Duncan Robinson and Nunn
My odd allocation
Clippers 80%
Heat 5%
Mavs 5%
Other 10%
Jazz have no tax room to sign Mike Conley
If Heat really like Oubre
Trade idea
Warriors get Royce O’Neale
Heat get Oubre and 30th pick
Jazz get 7th pick
Filler if needed
This would save Jazz $25 million if they keep Conley
You’re dreaming if you think Royce O’Neale will land Utah the 7th overall pick.
Well the Heat are getting Oubre and #30 for free. Pat Riley really is the GOAT
One of the worst trades I’ve ever seen
Opt-in-and-trade seems like a fairly serious option here. Depending on what the Clips can get, it might be a smart move. Just doesn’t seem like they can get it right in the playoffs (this year because of injuries, but it’s always something). Might want to reset. That lack of 1st round picks though, might force them to try and gut it out with another set of old guys and hope for better luck.
Kawhi seems to be an impossible guy to read. But if his main priority is winning championships I think Dallas is by far the best option—Luka is just maybe entering his prime now. He could contend for the next 3-4 years easily next to him. Historically, two top 5 players is the quickest route to a ring.
Miami would have to move a lot of stuff, and Butler is in his 30’s, and given his game (lack of shooting) I wouldn’t be shocked to see his game decline in the next year or two. But with Bam I’d say Miami is his second best option.
I think if he signed outright in NY they would be a contender, but not to the extent Dallas would be, and Tom “I play my starters 43 minutes in the regular season” Thibs seems like the pure antithesis of a Kawhi guy.
LAC might be the worst equipped of the four teams in terms of ring hunting, despite the fact, had Kawhi played they probably would have won it all this year. But this post season is an outlier. Going forward the team is strapped financially, and I think Kawhi and PG13 are duplicative in a lot of ways (much like Butler and Kawhi, but at least in Miami you have Bam).
Maybe I’m wrong—maybe LeBron ages out, maybe GSW swings and missed this offseason, maybe Jokic and Denver never get healthy, but I don’t see LAC in a great position in the West moving forward.
It’ll be fun to speculate on, but he’s not going anywhere. It’ll take all of about two seconds for the Clips to agree to hire a new medical staff in contract negotiations, if that really is a point of contention for him.
I’m pretty sure that Kawhi is just flexing his leveraging muscle while he has no interest in leaving home.
As for the Heat, they need to get some size. That was a very glaring weakness this season.
Clips already gave him everything he ever asked for, what is he levering for tho?)
Extension.
He’s already assured of the extension he wants being put in front of him to sign.
Maybe he wants leverage to become the GM when he transitions out of playing, or getting all expenses vacations to exclusive spots with his friends and family. Or something else illegal to the CBA for extra compensation, but I’m sure he is assured to get any max contract he wants. If anything he might want the team to juice up its medical team. He can’t get the team to trade any more draft pick capital than it has on George.
Agreed. The injury thing was weird.
Is it that difficult to give a detailed injury status on a guy? To the best of my knowledge, we still only know that it was a “sprain”.
Differences in opinion between KL’s doctors and team doctors was the harbinger of his divorce in San Antonio, which is pretty much the best organization in the League. The Clippers have Los Angeles in the favor though, so maybe that’s enough.
Part time player = part time pay?
That’s right spend more time in the injury list than in the court, too risk transaction for any team.
Kawaii is from SoCal and wanted to come to SoCal.
Why would he leave now?
Miami will be under water in 5 years.
While I would bet he re-ups with the Clippers… that Heat take is meaningless. Why would he care what the Heat are in five years?
I think he means literally Miami will be underwater.
Same thing alarmists have been saying about California for decades now…
Yea except a state built over a swamp usually stands a good chance at becoming part of that swamp eventually.
I feel so stupid. Thanks for the help!
I don’t know why he would leave. He’s playing at home, he’s playing with a group that was good enough to get to the WCF without him (neither the Heat nor the Mavs were), and he’s still top dog there. Upset with the organization as reported in several places? Maybe, but given this organization has catered to his every whim for 2 years, it’s hard to believe they can’t get past it.
In terms of the Heat and Knicks I agree. But I think Dallas, at least in terms of winning, would be an upgrade over LAC, just purely based on Luka 1) being a better fit beside Kawhi, and 2) being a better player than Paul George (and ten years younger).
If add KL, and then adjust the rest of the Dallas roster to accommodate signing KL as a FA @ 40 mm plus (they’d have to renounce THJ and Richardson, at a minimum), I’m not sure the DAL roster (w KL) is better than the LAC roster (w KL). If it is, it’s all about Luka, and IMO any such edge is more than neutralized by “starting over” with a much younger co-star vested with the team. He and PG13 are a WIP, still, but at least they have some personal chemistry.
Blazers hired Billups for a reason, comparing it to the Nash hiring. Everyone has it wrong, Dame is not going anywhere rather Olshey promised a super team and Kawhi may like the idea of winning another Championship with Lillard. Doing the right thing by the Clippers he could agree to a sign and trade bringing Clips McCollum and Covington. Blazers keep Powell and Nurkic and promote Simons to starting line up.
I heard in addition to the Mavericks and the Heat, Kawhi would also be greatly in demand by the Mayo Clinic and Cedars-Sinai. So he has several options.
Sign and trade for McCollum, team up with Chauncey and Dame in Ptl.Morris replaces Kawhi, Blazers add Covington to deal both teams come out stronger.
I’m a Clippers fan but I have followed Kawhi since SDSU. During his run in San Antonio, he became my favorite NBA player and I have always watched and cheered for him. When he came to the Clippers, it was like a dream come true for me. The only thing I didn’t feel good about was how much the Clippers gave up to PG as well. If Kawhi leaves LA it would devastate the Clippers. They have no real capital and could only hope for a sign and trade to get some sort of return. This would also tarnish Kawhi for demanding a PG trade to sign and then leaving. I hope he stays because it will be impossible for the Clippers to recover for many years.
It could take Raptors 10 years to recover
Teams should never let any superstars walk for nothing or make trade
Zion for example
If I were a owner, I’d never make trade whether he is happy or not
I’d never trade Chris Paul and Harden too?
There are 30 teams in the NBA. I’d trade a championship for a 10 year recovery anytime. There are at least 20 other teams that will play in that same 10 year period that will not win titles. At least the Raptors have a banner.
How would you have handled Harden then when he quit on you, if you were Houston?
Keep in mind every move you make is a signal to your own players and other future free agents.
Dallas has a big trade they could make with GSW & vice versa. They don’t have to wait out Kawhi to their disadvantage like the Lakers did a couple years ago.
Yes I think Kawhi will try to string out teams that he does not intend to choose.
Porzingis Powel Richrdsn ($54.3m) FOR:
Wiggins Wisemn Pashal Smail (44.4m), #7
Curry Poole Payton
Richardson Toscano Mulder
Thompson (Bazemore) #14
Porzingis Powell
Green Looney Bell (Criss)
Doncic Burke Terry
#7 Brunson JoshG (Hardaway)
Wiggins DFSmith Smails
Kleber Paschall Bey Melli
Wiseman WCStein Boban
Presume Oubre and Hardaway leave; if not them too. DAL players to GSW cost about $10m more so I think Hardaway can be afforded.
GSW players would work better with Doncic;
DAL players would work better with Kerr! Let’s see what Kidd can do with Wiseman.
Both teams want shooken up.
Better than waiting for Kawhi.
Wiggins, Wiseman, & #7? No way is Porzingis worth that much.
Kerr will fond a way to get use.
The other two are also likely starters. Powell is actually extra; it still works without him.
Anyway, you vote GSW says no.
Must be a Dallas fan, no way GSW even considers that trade
Could just trade Wigs & Porz.
Wigs should combo with Klay well, but Zinger should combo with Green well… Green likes when another shotblocker is out there, and Zinger can make 3s.
Zinger will be seen by Green, moreso than his situation in Dallas.
Apparently none of you know the salary cap rules Kawhi was going to opt out from the minute he signed that contract the reason is he now is a 10-year veteran and he gets 10-year veteran Max money the only reason for the third-year player option was just in case of a major injury it was insurance but he was always going to opt out from the second he signed
Yes, this media play is probably to freeze other teams into acting on other plans too late. Heh heh heh
Hmmm…if he had/has a strong relationship with Nico, then why did he sign with New Balance a couple of years ago?
He’s not going anywhere. He’s home. He’s responsible for PG in LA. They would be going to the finals if he was able to play. He’ll get re-upped, sign a max with options as most top players get and be in control. There’s no assurances with other teams and I doubt he’d want to wait around for it to develop (synergy, not building).
Clippers run is over. Kawhi is not coming back next yr. He will have surgery. Hope it’s not serious. But he’s out for yr probably. Clippers were smart they let him walk. Sign Dinwiddie and DeRozan both from LA. And want to win here, got PG. Or sign and trade him he’s not playing for a year. And who knows what is going on with him. Move on Clippers . Two heads are better than one.
Curry would love to play with Kawhi!
I must say there are a number of good ideas and takes in this page. I won’t mind if there are a lot of Kawhi stories.
Kawhi may not even play next season.. he may have a torn ACL.. has anyone considered this?
Serious question for you:
Why does that even matter?
Put yourself in Kawhi’s shoes. You are slated to make $36M on a player option next year. There’s not a single team in the league that wouldn’t offer you a MAX contract, and there are numerous teams with the ability to do so.
The 20-21 season max contract started at $38.2M, and next year isn’t trending to be a smaller cap figure, so there’s $2.2M there and at least $126M more over the next 3 season. Sure, he could wait out his current contract on the bench, but is it really worth risking guaranteed money for a minimal increase? Ask Nerlens Noel, he should be coming off a $90M contract this offseason, but he turned that down and instead has pulled in $12.9M… that was a smart move, right?