Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri has interest in reuniting with Kawhi Leonard, multiple league sources with knowledge of Dallas\u2019 thinking told The Athletic.<\/p>\n
The Mavericks and LA Clippers have discussed a deal that would send the seven-time All-Star to Dallas for a package that would include P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and draft picks, said league sources granted anonymity to describe deliberations still in progress.<\/p>\n
Ujiri famously acquired Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in 2018, when Ujiri was running the Toronto Raptors. That trade, which sent Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick, resulted in the Raptors winning the franchise\u2019s first and only championship that same season.<\/p>\n
Leonard averaged 30.5 points per game during the 2019 postseason and was named Finals MVP after the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in six games. He previously won another title with San Antonio, in which he was also named Finals MVP.<\/p>\n
Leonard has one year remaining on his contract and is owed $50.3 million this upcoming season. He averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game last season, which occurred while the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz investigated allegations that the LA Clippers circumvented the salary cap to pay him extra<\/a> money.<\/p>\n If the Mavericks were able to pull this trade off, Leonard would partner with Kyrie Irving, who\u2019s set to return this fall after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, and Cooper Flagg, who last season became the first rookie since Michael Jordan to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.<\/p>\n