Sorry Mavs fans, Kawhi is not landing in Dallas

While we would all love to see a certain NBA superstar from the Spurs join the good guys in Dallas, it ain’t happening folks.

If you have yet to see the recent breaking news from today, former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard wants out.

It seems a rift has grown all year between Leonard and the Spurs organization. Leonard reportedly feels “betrayed” and likely thinks that the team badly mismanaged his season-ending hip injury.

If healthy, Leonard would instantly be one of the most talented and accomplished players traded in league history. He’s in a different class entirely than the recent blockbusters of DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Blake Griffin.

Most teams adding Kawhi would instantly vault themselves into the contending conversation. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the two Los Angeles teams are on the star’s shortlist of preferred destinations. He also reported that the Boston Celtics will express interest.

Chris Mannix of Yahoo! Sports stated that the Sacramento Kings are willing to dangle the 2nd overall pick in a package to land Leonard. However, it’s doubtful that Sacramento would interest Leonard.

But wait, if Leonard’s being traded, why does it matter what he wants? The Spurs hold the cards right? Well not really, no.

Leonard is a free agent next summer which creates a unique situation for him where he has a lot of leverage. No team would dare give up what it will cost to land Leonard without some assurance that he would sign a long-term extension. So really, Kawhi is the one holding the cards.

Let’s examine the Mavericks angle here. Would Leonard be interested playing long-term in Dallas? I wouldn’t bet on it, but I wouldn’t entirely rule it out either. The Mavericks roster is pretty devoid of talent outside of Dennis Smith Jr., Harrison Barnes and hopefully the 5th overall pick this year.

To land Leonard, Dallas would certainly be giving up at least two of those three. That being said, the Mavericks would still have cap flexibility and maybe a shot to get creative and land another star. If the Mavs can dump some salaries, maybe a LeBron James or Paul George pairing with Leonard is feasible.

Dallas is a major market, something Leonard and his camp have been reportedly seeking. It is also not a complete media frenzy like L.A. or New York, so maybe that appeals to the soft-spoken All-Star.

The main issue comes down to how the Mavericks can offer the best package for the Spurs. The short answer: they cannot. Teams like the Lakers, Celtics and 76ers are loaded with assets and talent and are major markets in their own right. Leonard being from Los Angeles also doesn’t help.

There is no way some package including DSJ/Barnes/5th overall pick/future pick beats out some combination of Ingram/Ball/Kuzma/Hart/picks. Or Fultz/Saric/Covington/10th pick/future picks. Or Jaylen Brown/Tatum/Kyrie/Hayward/picks. You get the picture. It ain’t happening.

Next: Three possible trades for Chandler Parsons & 4th overall pick

The Mavericks will assuredly do their due diligence with the situation. They’ll call the Spurs, they’ll make a pitch and hope for the best. Unfortunately, that won’t stop the Spurs from simply hanging up and calling someone else.

Rest easy Mavericks fans, at least the so-called almighty and perfect Spurs organization aren’t as flawless as we may have previously believed. Mammas don’t let your babies grow up to be Spurs fans!