NBA trade rumors: 3 improbable deals that could land LeBron James on Dallas Mavericks amid rumored reunion with Kyrie Irving
LeBron James and the LA Lakers are among the .500 teams in the Western Conference. However, they are far from being one of the title favorites this season. The Lakers' extraordinary trade moves in the offseason made them an instant title contender. However, so far Darvin Ham and his team have not been able to capitalize on the roster.
LeBron still reigns as 'The King' in the NBA and if he wants, he can anytime force his way out of Los Angeles to join a title-contending team. In a hypothetical scenario, if James decides to leave the Lakers, there is a high chance that he would want to join the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks have Kyrie Irving, and both James and Irving have reportedly been trying to team up again. One of the reasons that the four-time NBA champion would want to go to Dallas is Luka Doncic. James has openly expressed his appreciation for Doncic’s game and the Slovenian would not want to miss playing with his childhood idol as well.
Though the table is set to put LeBron in the title picture again, the difficulty of trade is still too realistic. The 39-year-old legend is set for a $47 million salary this season and though the Mavericks do have pieces, they might have to give up too much in the trade.
Despite the unlikeliness of the trade, here are three best scenarios for LeBron James to end up in Dallas.
3 improbable deals that could land LeBron James on Dallas Mavericks
#1 Multiple draft picks
In any trade scenario, if the Lakers make a LeBron James trade, they would want the Mavericks to include Tim Hardaway Jr. in it. The Mavs also have two future first-round picks which they could include in the trade.
To match the salaries, the Mavericks will have to include some of the role players in the trade. The Lakers are giving up arguably the greatest player of all time, and they wouldn’t be satisfied with multiple low-quality role players. Dallas can include young players like Josh Green and Jaden Hardy in the potential trade.
#2 Lakers receive role players
If the Dallas Mavericks could get LeBron James, they could be an instant favorite to win the title, though not the clear favorite. Though the possibility of James asking to move to Dallas is unlikely, the trade could give the Lakers enough pieces around Anthony Davis to fight for the title.
Along with Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, and Jaden Hardy, the Mavericks could also include Markieff Morris in the trade. Morris has previously played with the Lakers and Anthony Davis in 2020, the same year he won his first NBA title with the Lakers. If the Mavericks are going to make a cut on the draft picks, they could also include other players on the trade list.
#3 Mavericks include Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and multiple role players with draft picks
Perhaps, the most probable trade scenario for the Mavericks is to acquire LeBron James while giving the Lakers what they want, since they have the upper hand in the trade. Moreover, the Lakers not getting their hand on draft picks is very unlikely.
The Mavericks have multiple role players like Dante Exum, Josh Green, and Markieff Morris, whom they could include in the trade. Moreover, the Lakers would want Davis and Austin Reaves to have other star players playing beside them and it could be Tim Hardaway Jr.
The biggest factor in this trade would be Maxi Kleber. The Lakers might want to get their hands on him for his three-point shooting.