“Kawhi Leonard to join the Mavericks?”: Kevin O’Connor believes the Clippers superstar could team up with Luka Doncic this offseason

Kevin O’Connor say the Mavericks have the best shot at snagging Kawhi Leonard this 2021 offseason to team him up with Luka Doncic. 

Both Kawhi Leonard and Luka Doncic have been dealt the short end of the stick in consecutive postseasons as their respective squads flame out well before hat was expected of them. Luka Doncic hasn’t been out of the first round yet while Kawhi Leonard hasn’t been to the NBA Finals ever since making his way to Los Angeles. 

Following the Mavericks being booted out of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, their front office went through a massive shake-up. Guys like Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle made their way out of Dallas, much to Doncic’s chagrin. The Slovenian talent was especially gutted after hearing about Nelson’s departure from the team.

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The Clippers lost Game 6 merely half a day ago so there has been no news regarding what could happen within their organization, as of yet. Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer however, believes the Mavs are best suited to pursue the ‘Klaw’ this offseason. 

Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard could team up this offseason on the Mavericks. 

According to O’Connor, several aspects point in the direction of a Kawhi-Luka team up in Dallas. Through a variety of sign-and-trades to help create maximum cap space, the Mavericks could feasibly have Doncic and Leonard on the team for the long haul.

The Clippers showed what they can do without Kawhi Leonard by going six games in the West Finals. Imagine what they can do next year with him, following an offseason that could see lots of player movement. New @ringer story on LA’s pivotal summer ahead: https://t.co/Xc2N9OXmJc

— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 1, 2021

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Also, Dallas new general manager, Nico Harrison, was reportedly quite close with the 2x Finals MVP during his stint with Nike and the Jordan brand. Kawhi Leonard signed a 3 year/ $103 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, with the final year of this deal being a player option. 

If Kawhi Leonard were to decline this player option, he would become an unrestricted free agent and would also be allowed to secure a ‘bigger bag’. Despite the fact that he’s currently injured and the status of his knee injury is unknown, there’s not a single contending team that wouldn’t look to snag him if he were to become a UFA.