Dallas Mavericks Listed as Potential Destination for Lakers' LeBron James

One of the greatest players of all time could be joining up with his former teammate in the near future

Jan 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball over Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers could be a free agent this offseason if he declines his player option, which has betting markets ready to go. DraftKings is currently allowing bets on which team King James will take his talents to next.

The Lakers are the heavy favorites at -500, but the Dallas Mavericks are tied for 5th with the New York Knicks and Miami Heat at +2500. The teams ahead are the Golden State Warriors (+1400), Cleveland Cavaliers (+1400), and the Philadelphia 76ers (+1800).

READ MORE: Jason Kidd 'Very Thankful' to Receive Dallas Mavericks Contract Extension

In terms of basketball fit, there may not be a better one than the Mavericks for LeBron. He was teammates with Kyrie Irving in his second stint on the Cleveland Cavaliers, where they won a championship together in 2016. James has also been very complimentary of Luka Doncic throughout the years, calling him his favorite player in the league.

LeBron James on what makes Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic special and his favorite player:

“His size, I mean he’s gigantic, he’s a 6’8 point guard, he’s 225 pounds, he has the ball on a string, and but more importantly his vision…” #MFFL

(🎥: @uninterrupted) pic.twitter.com/RXGu4F6idn

— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) June 10, 2022

The passing and scoring abilities between Doncic, Irving, and James all working together is fun to think about, but James would likely have to take a severe pay cut for it to work out, as the Mavericks are already projected to be a tax-level team. The Mavericks could make moves, such as off-loading the contracts of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green, but that would give them even less financial flexibility moving forward.

LeBron James has also not been shy in his desire to play with his son, Bronny, who has entered the NBA Draft. Dallas currently holds the draft's final pick, sitting with the 58th selection in the NBA Draft via the Boston Celtics. If Bronny James is still on the board then, which is a possibility given his limited production in college and questions about his long-term upside, it wouldn't be the worst idea to take him to convince LeBron to come to Dallas.

Despite playing his 21st season at 39 years old, James still had an effective season, averaging 25.7 PPG, 8.3 APG, and 7.3 RPG while shooting a career-high 41% from 3. He's still capable of playing at a high level and wants to continue being in title contention.

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