We put together a hypothetical trade package that allows LeBron James to go to the Dallas Mavericks and compete for an NBA championship.
LeBron James kicked free agency speculation into overdrive yesterday. James opted into his $52.6 million player option, thus turning down any talk of taking a pay cut.
However, the decision came with a twist, as it was then reported that James is looking at his options and could ask for a trade as the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t on his timeline.
James was immediately linked to multiple teams. Despite the plethora of teams that could possibly trade for LeBron James, the Dallas Mavericks’ name kept coming up.
One Lakers insider confirmed the Mavericks’ interest in James. Perhaps they will look into the deal once LeBron formalizes any trade request to the Lakers.
But what would a trade for LeBron James even look like? Well, we tried to put together a package both sides would find acceptable.
The hypothetical trade package would look like this:
- Dallas Mavericks receive: LeBron James
- Los Angeles Lakers receive: Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Caleb Martin, 2027 first-round pick (DAL via LAL)
This deal works for both sides, as it gives Luka Doncic the two-way players and lob threats he needs to thrive as a point guard. Additionally, the Lakers receive their first-round pick back, which they traded to acquire Doncic in the first place.
As for the Mavericks, they get to add LeBron James to their star-studded core of Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and recent #1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.
A little over two months ago, The Athletic dropped a report about the Lakers’ offseason and how they would approach their roster going forward.
Interestingly, they mentioned in that report that LeBron James and his camp didn’t rule out a move to another team. The one franchise that was mentioned as a landing spot was the Dallas Mavericks.
“So, might James think about finishing his career elsewhere in pursuit of a fifth ring? When posed that question, both league sources close to James and team sources would not rule that possibility out. And that was before the revealing elimination game.”
“The unsolicited mention of Davis in his postgame news conference was a reminder that the two were very close before their unexpected breakup.”
“The same is true about James and Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, whose courtside presence at Game 5 — and his interactions with James during play — garnered notice on the TNT telecast.”
“As The Athletic reported in February, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is expected to pursue another star this summer — be it someone like James or the Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant.”
One has to question whether James’ recent decision to opt in has anything to do with this report. If that is the case, Nico Harrison will have pulled off a coup.
To essentially give up Luka Doncic and in return, secure Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, and LeBron James will be one of the greatest stretches in the career of any NBA executive.
Of course, the ink is still yet to dry on James’ contract. As such, any trade talk might be premature. But this deal would certainly be one of the biggest in NBA history.
