Kawhi lights-out from beyond arc to claim MVP

LA Clippers coach Ty Lue gave a positive update on Kawhi Leonard before Friday’s game in Minnesota. Leonard has missed the entire season to this point, as he’s recovering from offseason knee surgery.

“He’s progressing well. He’s been able to get on the court and do some things on the court, which is good for us,” Lue said about Leonard. “So just still checking every box, making sure that he’s doing the right things and his workouts are really good and making sure we don’t let him get to the next step until he checks those boxes, so our medical staff has done a great job with that, making sure that we make sure he’s 100% when he comes back.”

Leonard played in 68 games last season for the Clippers. The star forward put together a terrific all-around season. However, Leonard was limited to playing in just two of LA’s playoff games, as they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round.

The Dallas Mavericks are open to trading Dorian Finney-Smith in a trade for a star-caliber player, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Finney-Smith signed a four-year, $55 million extension with the Mavericks last offseason. Finney-Smith holds a player option for 25-26.

If the Mavericks are successful in trading for a major upgrade, it almost certainly would require the inclusion of Finney-Smith. The Mavericks have a high price threshold for teams interest in Finney-Smith. The Utah Jazz are a team who has expressed a strong interest in Finney-Smith.