Mavericks dodged a Kawhi Leonard headache after NBA's harsh punishment

The Dallas Mavericks showed interest in trading for Kawhi Leonard earlier this summer, but they decided not to make a move for him. The Toronto Raptors ended up paying a hefty price to trade for him, while the Mavs retooled their roster in other ways. Dallas invested in their future by making moves for players like Zaccharie Risacher and Santi Aldama.

They have put a clear focus on building for their future rather than making aggressive win-now moves, and their decision to pass on Leonard looks even better now. The LA Clippers were stripped of five first-round picks for breaking the salary cap circumvention rules with Leonard, three of their executives were suspended, and Steve Ballmer was fined $30 million.

While Leonard himself wasn't suspended and was only fined $700,000, drama from this situation will certainly follow him as his career progresses. The NBA's harsh punishment of the Clippers put all eyes on Leonard as he returns to Toronto.

The Kawhi Leonard drama won't be going away

Dallas not making a move for Leonard gives them one less thing to worry about in Cooper Flagg's second season, as this Leonard story isn't going away anytime soon. Even though the NBA has already made its decision regarding punishments for those involved, Leonard is still going to get questions about this for the rest of his career.

It's one of the biggest stories in the NBA over the last few years, and Leonard would likely become the biggest story if he were traded to the Mavericks rather than Flagg and his quest to lead Dallas back to the NBA Finals. Even with the Leonard saga over, the negative press that would follow him would've been a major distraction for a young team that's looking to snap a two-year playoff drought.

Leonard wouldn't have been a good long-term fit on the Mavericks

On top of the baggage that comes with Leonard, he also wouldn't have fit the Mavericks' vision at all. They're trying to build a roster that complements Flagg, and while Leonard's on-court fit wouldn't be bad, the logistics of such a move would've been hard to justify.

Leonard is 16 years older than Flagg, has a lengthy injury history, and is on an expiring contract. Hypothetically, Dallas could've lost him for nothing in free agency after just one season with the team. He would've been the oldest player on the Mavericks by multiple years.

To get a deal for Leonard done, Dallas would have been forced to give up valuable role players and future draft capital. Dallas doesn't fully control many of their own future first-round picks to begin with, and trading them for an aging superstar is a risky proposition.

A trade for Leonard would've been a gamble, to say the least.

Dallas is better off without Leonard

Dallas is much better off with the roster they have now in terms of following a future-facing vision, and Mavs fans should be excited about what's ahead. Flagg remains one of the best young players in the NBA, they have an elite center rotation, their shooting has improved significantly, and their young core is quietly on the rise.

Leonard wouldn't have lined up with Dallas' goals in this new era, and everything that comes with yesterday's ruling would have made things even worse. The Mavs made the right decision to use other moves to upgrade their roster.

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