LeBron James thought about joining Dallas Mavericks, according to report
LeBron James to the Dallas Mavericks?
According to the Athletic’s John Hollinger, the rumors that James had “eyes’ for the Mavs before opting into his $52 million option with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“In particular, the whispers about him having eyes for Dallas — a place where he could have teamed up with former teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving and young phenom Cooper Flagg — before opting into his deal were hard to ignore. Obviously, James wasn’t willing to leave $52 million on the table to take a nontaxpayer MLE or something similar from the Mavericks or another team. A buyout seems similarly unlikely. Additionally, the tax aprons on both sides will make any in-season transaction with a contender-class team challenging,” said Hollinger.
If the Lakers decided to move on from James they would need to work with the 21-time all-star as he has a no-trade clause in his contract and therefore has some control over where he would be traded.
For the Mavs, James could make up for the playmaker the team lost when it traded Luka Doncic, and he could be an invaluable mentor to Cooper Flagg.
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 11:17 AM.
