Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts after missing a pass in the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

What if Mavericks traded for LeBron James a year ago?

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 11:45 AM ET

The Dallas Mavericks are a very different team than they were a year ago.

Last summer, they wanted to continue riding the wave of their recent Finals appearance, so they signed Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors. While Thompson was serviceable, he didn't do much to change the fortunes of the franchise.

There's a world CBS Sports writer Jasmyn Wimbish explores if the Mavs signed LeBron James from the Los Angeles Lakers instead of Thompson, and it changes everything.

"There was speculation this summer that LeBron was intrigued by the idea of joining the Dallas Mavericks. So what if he did it a year earlier? He's talked about missing playing with Kyrie Irving, and we know he has an affinity for Luka Dončić," Wimbish wrote.

"The Mavericks just came off an NBA Finals run, so maybe James looks at that as an opportunity to try and win a fourth ring with Dončić and Irving. The landscape of the league would certainly look different right now if that were the case, and if that were Dallas' roster, they'd surely have enough firepower to win the NBA Finals last season."

What if Mavs added LeBron last season?

If the Mavs add LeBron instead of Thompson, Luka Doncic likely is still with the Mavs as part of the trio that could lead Dallas to a championship.

Assuming Irving still tears his ACL, it would have been difficult to imagine the Mavs going much further than the Lakers did this season, but the future of the franchise and league would be quite different.

Davis would likely still be with the Lakers while No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg would have ended up elsewhere.

The Mavs would still have Luka, so not all is lost, but having a 40-year-old LeBron might not be as exciting as it originally sounds.

Would the Mavs still be contenders? Yes, but there's no guarantee that their future would 100 percent be better than what they have now.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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