Don’t count the Dallas Mavericks in for another league-altering trade with the Los Angeles Lakers this year.
“Dallas, I’m told that they would only be interested in LeBron [James] in a buyout situation,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported Thursday on ESPN Radio 710 in Los Angeles.
In other words, if James were to become a free agent, the Mavericks would be interested.
That’s a big “if” and so is James actually relocating. But the all-time great’s status has been closely monitored around the league ever since his agent, Rich Paul, gave ESPN a statement indicating the conditionality of James’ commitment to the Lakers, even after he picked up his $52.6 million player option with the organization over the weekend.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
James is a 40-year-old, four-time NBA champion that is still hungry for another title. The pressure has been on the Lakers this week to support James with a championship-caliber roster.
They took a hit Monday when versatile frontcourt piece Dorian Finney-Smith agreed to sign with the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles has since made moves to bring on center Deandre Ayton and reserve forward Jake LaRavia.
The question remains, however, if the Lakers will have enough to satisfy James, who has won one championship since joining the franchise in 2018.
As for Dallas, the Mavericks could be an attractive landing spot for James, given his ties to Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. James won a championship with Irving in Cleveland and another with Davis in Los Angeles, and he’d not only join them but also a five-time All-Star and four-time NBA champ in Klay Thompson.
The Mavericks’ roster is now headlined by No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, who, like James, is another do-it-all forward.
But again, according to McMenamin, the Lakers would have to buy out James’ contract for the Mavericks to be interested in adding the four-time league MVP.
James notably has a no-trade clause in his Lakers contract. So if he did want to be traded, he would have control over his destination.
But McMenamin has his doubts about James leaving the Lakers.
“Let’s keep bringing this up because I don’t think it’s getting enough attention,” McMenamin said on ESPN Radio 710 in Los Angeles. “His son’s on the Lakers. So he’s going to go get a trade away from his son?”
McMenamin emphasized that packaging LeBron James and Bronny James in a deal would prove difficult because of how much their contracts would cost together.
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