Kawhi Leonard trade details prove Mavericks dodged a massive mistake

Less than 48 hours after being linked to the Dallas Mavericks in trade rumors, former LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Gradey Dick, Brandon Ingram, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a first-round pick swap in 2027, and second-round picks in 2030 and 2033. Toronto gave up an absolute haul to bring in a player who turned 35 earlier this week, and the Mavs dodged a massive mistake by not making a similar move.

Mavericks fans should be glad Dallas didn't trade for Kawhi Leonard

Not only did this move not make sense to begin with, given that Dallas is trying to build around a 19-year-old star in Cooper Flagg, but the Mavs would've also had to give up far too much value to bring in a historically injury-prone player who's entering the final year of an expiring contract. The original rumored package from Dallas included P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, and unspecified draft capital. After seeing this haul from Toronto, Dallas would've had to offer the farm to land the Klaw.

The Mavericks don't have much draft capital to trade to begin with, and they would've been forced to part with multiple assets they desperately need to build around Flagg. Building through the draft is the way to go when putting a complementary roster around a young franchise cornerstone, and the Mavs wouldn't have been able to do this very well if they made a strong push for Leonard. Their new future-facing vision would be ripped to shreds.

Mavericks fans speculated that Washington, Thompson, another player, and some pick swaps could've landed the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, but that's clearly not the case. The Raptors were ready to throw a massive package at LA to reunite with the two-time NBA Champion, and Dallas would've been in an all-out bidding war if they were set on pursuing Leonard.

Thankfully, they weren't.

Dallas can now build around Cooper Flagg the right way

The Mavericks haven't made any other trades since their plethora of moves on draft night, and it seems like they have their sights set on some lower-end targets. Dallas has serious interest in trading for Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser. They've also been linked to Denver Nuggets sharpshooter Cameron Johnson. These are far more reasonable targets compared to Leonard, and the packages that they'd have to give up for these players would be far less lucrative as well.

Dallas is in a much better spot for the future without Leonard than they would be with him, and the Mavericks are going to be just fine as they bring in new pieces. A leadership core of Masai Ujiri, Mike Schmitz, and Dusty May is a great start, and they've already made it clear that every move they make moving forward will have the future at the top of mind.

Ujiri wants to win, but he also doesn't want to compromise the team's future. He knows how rare it is to build around a team-first superstar like Cooper Flagg, and making a trade for Leonard would've been the exact opposite from the type of move they should be making right now.

Mavericks fans should be thankful that Dallas didn't offer a similar package to the Raptors' for the seven-time All-Star, as they can use these assets to patiently form a contender.

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