No. 2 reason LA Clippers fans shouldn’t panic about Kawhi Leonard free agency: This wouldn’t be easy for Dallas
LA Clippers fans don’t have to worry as much about Kawhi Leonard going to Dallas as the national media is making it seem.
How are the Mavericks going to offer Kawhi enough when they still have to pay Kristaps Porzingis?
Porzingis is owed an average of $32.75 million in annual value in these next two years. Newsflash: Porzingis is not worth that at all.
Therefore, the Mavericks have to trade him.
Imagine somebody willingly trading for Pornzingis, that contract, and that injury history. Having a tough time imagining it? That’s because it won’t happen.
NBA teams have already made it clear that they won’t do it. What draft picks do the Mavericks have to include in that deal?
Well, none in the first round. Because of the Porzingis trade, they can’t trade any first-round draft picks until 2025.
Do I think the Mavs are an attractive destination for Leonard? Absolutely.
But, the likelihood of them getting it done with Porznigis’ contract still on the roster is simply not very high to me, and the chances of a team willing to trade for Porzingis is also not very high.
The Mavericks are the team getting pegged as the best competition for Kawhi, and that’s good news. That means Kawhi’s probably staying.