Lakers News: Why Dallas Still Has A Chance To Add LeBron James This Summer

The LA superstar is still a hot commodity.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar small forward LeBron James remains a hot commodity, even after his 20th NBA season.

That's why former Cleveland Cavaliers running mate Kyrie Irving is reportedly trying to push James to ask LA for a trade to Irving's current club, the Dallas Mavericks.

Marc Stein of Substack notes that Irving, an unrestricted free agent this summer, would need to take a major pay cut to accommodate a trade for all $46.9 million of James' salary in 2023-24. He seems to be more concerned with nabbing the five-year, $272 million maximum contract that the Mavs could tender his way, if so inclined.

Stein adds that, because the Mavericks don't necessarily have enough meaningful trade chips to entice the Lakers to even make a deal -- short of superstar guard Luka Doncic -- James would probably need to negotiate a contract buyout with LA so that he could link up with Dallas as a free agent, albeit for a significant pay cut of his own.

Given that (a) the Lakers are much better than the Mavericks and (b) James' son, Bronny, is starting his freshman season at USC, Stein believes it is far more likely the 19-time All-Star stays in Los Angeles, at least through this season. He has a player option on his $50.7 million contract for the 2024-25 season, when he'll turn 40.

Stein notes that Irving pushing for James can also serve to show the Mavericks that he has outsized influence as a recruiter of his fellow All-Stars, which could aid the team in free agency down the line. Additionally, Stein adds that Irving is not trying to use this probably-unlikely recruitment to convince the Lakers to sign him, and instead believes Irving sincerely hopes to remain with the Mavericks long-term.

“He wants to stay,” a source informs Stein.

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