Dallas Mavericks Won’t Gut Roster to Trade for Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James

The Dallas Mavericks will not gut their roster to trade for Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, according to NBA insiders Dan Woike and Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

For the Mavericks to trade for James, they have to match James’ salary in a trade. The NBA legend will make $52.6 million next season.

“One team linked to James — the Dallas Mavericks — does not have interest in gutting its roster to match James’ salary in a trade, a team source told The Athletic,” Woike and Vardon wrote.

Why has James been linked to the Mavericks? The organization has Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Jason Kidd, D’Angelo Russell, Nico Harrison and Phil Handy. There are also no state income taxes in Dallas, Texas.

Although it would be fun to see James play alongside Irving and Davis again, the leading scorer in NBA history is expected to remain with the Lakers.

James, 40, has had no trade or buyout talks with Los Angeles.

“In the sections filled with employees from other teams, scouts and executives around the NBA buzzed with speculation about where else James might play, tossing around trade and buyout scenarios that, league and team sources told The Athletic, have never been discussed between James and the Lakers,” Woike and Vardon wrote. “Amid the constant speculation recently about his future, both the Lakers and people close to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer expect that he will be with the organization for training camp once the season begins this fall, league sources told The Athletic.

“Those same sources said the Lakers have received no indication from James or his representatives that he would request a trade or ask to be bought out of the final year of his contract, which will be his eighth season with the Lakers, the longest consecutive stretch spent with one organization in his career.”

The Mavericks missed the playoffs last season after making the NBA Finals in 2024. Harrison traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Davis and Max Christie in February.

Dallas won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery and selected Duke star Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks now have a strong core of Flagg, Irving, Davis, Daniel Gafford and Klay Thompson.