If LeBron James could convince the Los Angeles Lakers to buy him out, the Dallas Mavericks would be interested in adding him.
Appearing on ESPN Radio 710 in Los Angeles, ESPN's Dave McMenamin said the Mavs would only have interest in James if he were to become a free agent, not via trade.
James' status with the Lakers is the most closely monitored situation in the NBA.
Even though he opted into his $52.6 million salary for next season, the decision came with a statement from his agent, Rich Paul, to ESPN's Shams Charania about evaluating what's best for the four-time NBA MVP:
The Athletic's Sam Amick noted after James opted into his deal for the 2025-26 season that executives around the NBA were "wondering if this was a precursor to a trade request."
There's no indication of any trade request at this point. James would also have control over where he goes if a deal materialized because he has a full no-trade clause in his deal.
Dallas stands out as an obvious landing spot for James if he were to leave the Lakers because of his preexisting relationships with players on the team. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving have years of experience playing alongside him.
The Mavs would have to sacrifice a lot of their depth if they wanted to trade for James, but they could build a package around Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.
One big potential issue if the Mavs were to bring in James is how it might impact the development of Cooper Flagg. James, Davis and Irving, when he returns from injury, would dominate the ball and take touches away from the No. 1 overall pick.
The most important thing for the 2025-26 Mavericks is the development of Flagg because he is the future of the franchise. Paul's statement emphasized how the Lakers were taking a long-term approach to team building, so how are the Mavericks any different?
James could argue Dallas is starting from a higher point because a nucleus of himself, Irving, Davis and Flagg would be more appealing than the Lakers with himself, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton.
Even in these hypothetical scenarios, there would seem to be very little chance of the Lakers simply buying out James' contract and getting nothing in return for him playing on another team.
Unless James wants to make things very uncomfortable for the Lakers and their management, the most likely scenario seems to be that he will at least start next season in purple and gold.
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