With the Los Angeles Clippers season coming to an end just short of the NBA Finals, there are a ton of questions surrounding this franchise in terms of where they go from here. They made their first ever appearance in the Western Conference Finals, but without Kawhi Leonard on the court, they just did not have enough firepower to reach their ultimate goal of contending for a title.
The season definitely was not a “lost cause” for the Clippers, as this was a historic team for them, but change is definitely on the horizon for this organization. Given their financial restraints and their lack of future assets, this is a team that has gone “all-in” on competing for a championship now, but Kawhi Leonard holds all the cards to their future.
Leonard signed a three-year, $103M deal with the Clippers back in 2019, but the third year of his contract for the 2021-22 season contains a $36M player option. This summer, Kawhi will have to make a big decision on whether or not he opts in or out of his contract, which could change the Clippers forever. It will be the top storyline to watch in NBA rumors as the thick of the offseason approaches.
As of right now, the season just ended, so everything is just speculation, but there is a belief league-wide that Kawhi Leonard will opt out of his contract and become a free agent. Whether or not he intends to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers remains a huge question mark, but there will definitely be teams targeting the 2x Finals MVP should he become a free agent.
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One of those teams with reported interest in Leonard this offseason are the Dallas Mavericks. After beating them in the first-round of the playoffs for two straight years now, it seems hard to believe that he would want to go to the Mavericks, but Kawhi Leonard is always full of surprises and Kevin O’Connor from The Ringer reported that the Mavs intend to make a “hard push” for Leonard in the offseason.
Could a lethal duo of Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard form this season with Kawhi Leonard opting to sign with the Dallas Mavericks? Let’s take a look at three reasons why Kawhi should consider Dallas in NBA free agency should he opt out of his contract.
