Даллас Маверикс болон Лос-Анжелес Клипперс багууд долоон удаагийн Олл-Стар тоглогч Кавай Ленардыг солилцоогоор авах боломжийг хэлэлцэж эхэлжээ.
Даллас Мавериксийн ерөнхийлөгч Масай Ужири өмнө нь Торонто Рэпторс багт ажиллаж байхдаа Кавай Ленардыг багтаа элсүүлж, тухайн улиралдаа аварга болж байсан түүхтэй. Энэ удаагийн солилцооны хүрээнд Даллас Маверикс П.Ж. Вашингтон, Клэй Томпсон болон драфтын эрхүүдийг санал болгоод байгаа аж. Ленардын хувьд гэрээний хугацаа дуусахад нэг жил үлдсэн бөгөөд ирэх улиралд 50.3 сая долларын цалин авах юм.
Хэрэв энэхүү солилцоо амжилттай болбол Ленард гэмтлийн улмаас өнгөрсөн улирлыг өнжсөн Кайри Ирвинг болон залуу од Купер Флэгг нартай хүч нэгтгэх болно. Масай Ужири багийн бүрэлдэхүүнийг залуу тоглогч Купер Флэггийг тойруулан ирээдүйд чиглэсэн байдлаар бүрдүүлэх зорилт тавьж байгаагаа мэдэгдсэн юм.
Өнгөрсөн улиралд 26-56 гэсэн амжилттайгаар лигийн довтолгооны үзүүлэлтээр муу байсан Даллас Маверикс багт хоёр удаагийн шилдэг хамгаалагч Кавай Ленардыг нэмэх нь багийн довтолгоог эрс сайжруулах боломжтой. Гэвч Даллас Маверикс баг Лука Дончичийг тойруулан багаа бүрдүүлэх явцдаа ирээдүйн драфтын эрхүүдээ бусад багуудад шилжүүлсэн нь энэхүү солилцоонд тодорхой хүндрэл учруулж болзошгүй байна.
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Mavericks president Masai Ujiri has interest in reuniting with Kawhi Leonard, multiple league sources with knowledge of Dallas’ thinking told The Athletic.
The Mavericks and LA Clippers have discussed a deal that would send the seven-time All-Star Leonard to Dallas for a package that would include P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and draft picks, league sources said.
Ujiri famously traded for Leonard in 2018, when Ujiri was running the Toronto Raptors. That swap, which sent Leonard and Danny Green to Toronto for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick, resulted in the Raptors winning their first and only championship in franchise history the same season.
Leonard averaged 30.5 points 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.
Leonard has one year remaining on his contract and is owed $50.3 million this upcoming season. He averaged 27.9 points last season, his highest scoring average ever. His career year came while the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz was investigating allegations that the LA Clippers were circumventing the salary cap to pay him extra money.
If the Mavericks were able to pull this trade off, Leonard would partner with Kyrie Irving, who’s set to return this fall after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, and Cooper Flagg, who became the first rookie since Michael Jordan last season to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
In May, Ujiri said every decision the Mavericks made would be “future-based.”
“We have a 19-year-old generational player on our roster,” Ujiri said, referring to Flagg. “We have to think that way. We are not going to make decisions based on winning today. I don’t think that would make sense for the organization.”
An important piece of context here is that the Mavericks don’t control much of their draft future because of moves they made to strengthen their roster around Luka Dončić. The Mavericks owe their first-round pick in 2027 to the Charlotte Hornets unless it falls in the top two, and they have zero control of their 2029 first-round pick. Dallas’ 2028 and 2030 first-rounders are tied up in pick swaps.
The Mavericks went 26-56 last season and were one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA, finishing 27th in points scored per 100 possessions. Adding Leonard – a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-NBA member – to the mix would certainly be a boost to Dallas’ attack.
