NBA Rumors: Kawhi, Lillard, Mavericks, Tucker, Cavaliers

The Mavericks are expected to pursue Kawhi Leonard and his ACL injury has not dissuaded the team’s interest in the former Finals MVP, according to longtime NBA Journalist Marc Stein (via Substack). Stein compares the situation to Kevin Durant‘s in 2019 where the Nets inked the All-Star to a four-year deal despite him coming off of Achilles surgery.

Leonard re-signing with the Clippers remains the likeliest scenario, though the Mavs are reportedly the biggest threat to pry him from Los Angeles.

The 30-year-old holds a $36 million player option for the 2021-22 season, though signs point to opting for a new deal despite his ACL injury.

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The Bucks considered a trade for Chris Paul before opting to deal for Jrue Holiday during the offseason, Stein writes in the same piece. Milwaukee went with Holiday, in part, because of his age, and the addition helped convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to sign a five-year extension with the franchise.
While rumors of Damian Lillard requesting a trade have been circulating, teammate Jusuf Nurkic doesn’t believe what he hears. Nurkic, who has been Lillard’s teammate for four-plus seasons, tweeted out skepticism about the reports on Friday.
It would be surprising if the Sixers didn’t already reach out to the Blazers about Lillard, Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times tweets. Philadelphia isn’t on Lillard’s reported short-list of teams, though that doesn’t mean there can’t be some informal recruiting done as we’ve seen in recent NBA history.
The Nets and Heat are among the teams with interest in P.J. Tucker, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Tucker, who may be looking for a deal in the $12 million per year range, may not be a financial fit for the Bucks, and several other teams, including the Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets, and Jazz, could make a run at the forward.
The Cavaliers are reportedly very open to dealing Collin Sexton and the Knicks are seen as the most aggressive suitor, as our own Jordan Foote recently detailed. Cleveland would want Obi Toppin in a trade with the Knicks. Toppin spent four years at Dayton before being drafted by New York with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft.