The Mavericks had a chance to chase Kawhi Leonard earlier this summer, but they stayed out of it - and after the NBA’s punishment landed on the Clippers, that call looks a lot smarter.
Dallas chose a different path and built its roster in other ways, instead of swinging big for Leonard. The team added players like Zaccharie Risacher and Santi Aldama, signaling a clear emphasis on the future rather than a hard push for the present.
That matters more now than it did when the possibility was on the table. The Clippers were hit with five first-round picks taken away for violating salary cap circumvention rules tied to Leonard, while three team executives were suspended and Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million. Leonard himself was not suspended, but he was fined $700,000.
Even with the league’s ruling in place, the story around Leonard is far from finished. He’s going to keep getting asked about it, and the spotlight will follow him as he returns to Toronto. For Dallas, passing on that entire situation means one less distraction hanging over Cooper Flagg’s second season.
That’s no small thing for a team trying to snap a two-year playoff drought. If Leonard had landed in Dallas, he would have instantly become one of the biggest stories in the league, even in a year when Flagg is trying to lead the Mavericks back to the NBA Finals.
The fit would have been awkward, too. Dallas is building around Flagg, and Leonard doesn’t match that timeline.
He’s 16 years older than Flagg, has a long injury history, and is on an expiring contract. There was a real chance he could have been gone after just one season, leaving Dallas empty-handed in free agency.
And getting a deal done would not have come cheap. The Mavericks would have had to part with useful role players and future draft capital, even though they don’t fully control many of their own future first-round picks. For an aging superstar, that’s a dangerous price to pay.
Instead, Dallas kept its focus where it wanted it: on a roster that fits the new era. Flagg is still one of the best young players in the NBA, the center rotation is elite, the shooting has taken a major step forward, and the young core is trending up quietly.
The Leonard noise isn’t going anywhere, but the Mavericks are better off not being tied to it. They made their choice, and now the roster they have looks a lot more aligned with where they’re trying to go.
In Other News...
Dirk Nowitzki And The Mavs May Finally Be Heading Somewhere Big
Dirk Nowitzkis relationship with the Mavericks has been in a rough patch during the Nico Harrison era, but the front office reset in Dallas has at least opened the door to a fresh conversation. Harrison was fired in November and replaced by Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz, a change that immediately changed the tone around one of the most important figures in franchise history.
Nowitzki has already been in touch with Ujiri over the summer, and there is at least a sense that a future conversation about his place with the team is coming. No formal role has been set, which leaves the situation unresolved for now, but for a franchise that has long wrestled with how to reconnect with its greatest player, even the possibility of a new chapter carries weight. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Just Sent A Clear Message With This Long-Awaited Arrival
The summers wave of draft-and-stash signings has given several teams a cheap way to stockpile young talent, and Dallas has now joined that group by finally bringing Tarik Biberovic into the fold. Players like Biberovic spend years developing overseas after being drafted, then arrive when the timing is right for both sides, giving a club a chance to add another piece without having to navigate the usual free-agent market.
For the Mavericks, the move fits the broader offseason trend of trying to balance long-term upside with roster flexibility. It also underscores how much value teams still place on players who have been out of sight but not out of mind, especially when the front office believes the wait has been worth it and the player is ready to make the leap. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Can't Afford To Rush These Trade Decisions
Trade chatter around Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford is likely to keep swirling as the season unfolds, but the Mavericks do not need to force anything early. With a roster built around youth and potential, Dallas has reason to be measured rather than reactive, especially when the current needs are more about shaping the back end of the rotation than making a dramatic splash. Smaller moves to bolster guard depth make more sense right now than ripping up a core that still has room to change.
Irvings name will remain part of the conversation because of what he can mean to Dallas if the season goes the right way, while Gaffords value sits in a different lane entirely as the team weighs how to balance its frontcourt depth. Nothing has been confirmed, and that is the point: the Mavericks can afford to let the market come to them instead of chasing a deal before the picture is clear. As the season progresses, these talks could shift quickly, but patience still looks like the safer play. [Read more 🡒]