LeBron James held interest in leaving Lakers for Mavericks: Report

A team that instantly became connected with "The King" was the Dallas Mavericks, who have four former teammates and another four former coaches of James. Although those rumors have dwindled to say the Mavericks would only be interested in the event of a buyout, there was a time when James held a strong interest in joining Dallas, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.

"In particular, the whispers about him having eyes for Dallas — a place where he could have teamed up with former teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving and young phenom Cooper Flagg — before opting into his deal were hard to ignore.

"Obviously, James wasn’t willing to leave $52 million on the table to take a nontaxpayer MLE or something similar from the Mavericks or another team. A buyout seems similarly unlikely. Additionally, the tax aprons on both sides will make any in-season transaction with a contender-class team challenging.”

The likely option remains James staying with the Lakers, for now. There wasn't a lot of money available this offseason, which would've made it difficult for any team to try and make a move for him. However, if he wants to keep playing after this season, teams should have a lot more spending room next offseason.