Kawhi Leonard

Where is the best landing spot for Kawhi Leonard if he leaves the Clippers?

Updated Jul. 30, 2021 8:20 a.m. ET

With the LA Clippers out of the playoffs and Kawhi Leonard waltzing into free agency, what’s next for the two-time Finals MVP?

The 10-year NBA veteran, who owns a $36 million player option to stay with the Clippers, will be eligible for a starting salary worth 35% of the projected $112 million salary cap ($39.2 million) if he signs with a new team, according to Yahoo Sports.

In December, Leonard spoke to reporters about his player option for the 2021-22 season and potential unrestricted free-agent status.

"Obviously, if I'm healthy, the best decision is to decline the player option, but that doesn't mean I'm leaving or staying [in LA]," he said. "I’m focused on the season, like I said. We’ll talk about that when the time is right."

It appears the time has come.

As Leonard enters his free-agency period, the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are reportedly planning to make "a hard push" for the Clippers’ star, and the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers could also look to get in on the action.

Dallas is considered by some to be the biggest threat to land Leonard because of Luka Dončić's presence and the Mavericks' ability to create maximum cap space or work out a sign-and-trade, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. Leonard also has a good relationship with Nico Harrison, Dallas’ new general manager and a former executive for Nike, with which Leonard had an endorsement contract from 2011 to '18.

Miami is also a contender. Leonard tried to recruit Heat star Jimmy Butler to the Clippers in 2019 before Paul George was acquired, so Miami could offer Leonard a chance to play alongside Butler if the Heat were to work out a sign-and-trade, per SB Nation.

There's also a chance that Leonard doesn't part ways with the Clippers – or at least leave Los Angeles. In March, the 30-year-old reportedly purchased his third home in Southern California, a $17.1 million mansion in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood. He already owns a $13.3 million estate in San Diego's Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood and a $6.7 million Staples Center-adjacent penthouse.

Although yet another home isn’t a guarantee that Leonard is planning to stay in LA or re-sign with the Clippers, his continuing to invest so much in the area leads to the possibility that he plans to stick around.

On Friday's "First Things First," NBA Analyst Chris Broussard said he would be shocked if the five-time All-Star left the Clippers and shared the only two reasons that he believes would justify a departure.

"If there was some egregious mistake made by the Clippers’ medical staff that affected Kawhi, and Steve Ballmer wouldn’t correct it, OK, that would be a legitimate reason," he said. "… If Kawhi has come to the conclusion that [he] just needs to be away from home during the season, then that would be a legitimate reason. … I don’t think that’s the case, especially with him just buying a $17 million house in March in Los Angeles … but if he left for one of those two reasons, then you’d say ‘OK, that’s a personal decision’. Any other reason, and I would find myself saying, ‘What is Kawhi Leonard thinking?’

"If he went to Dallas, that would tell me you don’t wanna be the man. You don’t like having the responsibility of carrying a franchise. You don’t like the pressure and expectations that come with that … you don’t like being the one that gets criticized if you don’t win a championship or underachieve. So you go to Dallas where Luka [Dončić] can handle all that. … Your supporting cast in Miami would be no better than your supporting cast with the Clippers. It’d be very close, and Miami can’t even get you the full max, so if he left for anything but the first two reasons, to me, it would speak negatively about Kawhi Leonard."

Broussard’s cohost, Nick Wright, agreed that the Mavericks would be the best fit for Leonard should he leave LA, and he added a third reason Leonard could do just that.

"He has all the leverage he wants and will no matter what he says. He’s going to get the full max if he demands it, which he will, and he’s going to get the no-trade clause, I would think, that may be the only point of contention.

"Here’s a third reason he might want to leave," Wright continued. "Better chance to win. Dallas with Kawhi is better. It's just better. … Luka is exponentially better than Paul George, and the Mavs aren't handcuffed with bad contracts … and they at least have their own draft capital, more so than the Clippers do."

Nick Wright: 'If Kawhi leaves Clippers, Mavs would be an infinitely better spot' ' FIRST THINGS FIRST

Chris Broussard shares two reasons he believes Kawhi would be justified in leaving the Clippers, but Nick Wright points out a third.

On Friday’s "The Herd," Colin Cowherd echoed Broussard and Wright's point that Leonard going to Dallas would have a lot to do with Dončić.

"These rumors are now being confirmed. Miami and Dallas coming after him, and I think Dallas fits way better," he said. "If he goes to Dallas, he no longer has to guard Luka, who’s the biggest nightmare for any great defender. … It’s also perfect for Dallas. … Dallas has cap space. Miami doesn’t. That makes a ton of sense."

Colin Cowherd says Dallas is the right fit for Kawhi: 'That's a championship team' ' THE HERD

It has been reported that the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are interested in making a deal for Kawhi Leonard, and while Kawhi has given no sign that he would be willing to leave the Clippers, Colin Cowherd makes a case for Luka Dončić and the Mavs.

The Ringer’s O’Connor joined Cowherd to discuss Leonard's options, pointing out that staying with the Clippers is still a lucrative option for the two-time NBA champion.

"For Kawhi Leonard here, nobody knows what he’s thinking specifically," O'Connor said. "It was reported earlier in the year that he bought a $17 million house in Los Angeles, so that could indicate that he is gonna stay long-term. Why else would you pay that much for a house in L.A.? However, he’s gonna have options.

"Dallas especially can offer a lot there with Luka … with that said, though, I don’t think it’s necessarily a realistic scenario here. The Clippers can still offer an amazing situation for him."

Only time will tell what happens with Leonard during free agency, which opens at 6 p.m. ET Aug. 2.

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