Mavericks Not Pursuing Trade For Lakers’ LeBron James

After James, 40, picked up his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers, his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, issued the following statement to Shams Charania of ESPN:

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

Ever since Paul released that statement, many people have speculated that James could request a trade from the Lakers this offseason. 

However, it’s nearly impossible for a contender to trade for James, who will make $52.6 million next season. 

The leading scorer of all time, James has a no-trade clause in his contract. If he really wants to play for the Mavericks, he can request a trade there and the Lakers would have to send him to Dallas. 

However, it takes two teams to complete a trade. The Mavericks would have to want to trade for James and it doesn’t appear they are interested in trading for The King. 

Don’t be surprised if James remains with the Lakers. He’s probably just putting pressure on Rob Pelinka to make the roster around him and Luka Doncic better.