New Mavericks president Masai Ujiri appears to be big-game hunting.
Injuries have been a large part of Leonard’s tenure with the Clippers, as he missed the 2021-22 season with a knee injury and has averaged 55.5 games per season since returning for the 2022-23 season. He is, however, coming off a healthy campaign in which he logged 65 games, averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 steals. Leonard was named an All-Star last year and earned a second-team All-NBA nod.
The trade would be an interesting pivot for Dallas given Leonard’s age. The two-time Finals MVP turns 35 years old on Monday, a stark contrast from franchise centerpiece Cooper Flagg, who doesn’t even turn 20 years old until December. Adding Leonard to the core of Kyrie Irving and Flagg would certainly signify Ujiri is ready to win in Dallas sooner than most anticipated.