Oct 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Anthony Davis (3) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Projected trade between Lakers, Mavericks teams LeBron James up with former teammates

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 5:15 PM ET

LeBron James opting into his player contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by a statement released by his agent, has fueled trade and buyout rumors for the last week. He wants the best possible chance to compete for a championship, and even though the Lakers now have Luka Doncic, the rest of the roster is discombobulated, at best.

LeBron's agent has since said there have been no talks about a trade or a buyout to this point, but that isn't stopping the rumors from flying and the trade machines from spinning.

Fred Katz of The Athletic proposed a few trades for "The King," proposing the following trade for the Mavericks.

Mavericks receive: LeBron James
Lakers receive: Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington

While this trade would technically work financially right now, it would likely also take the Mavericks adding either Naji Marshall or Caleb Martin and the Lakers adding in Bronny James, which would be a closer financial fit and allow the Mavs a little more tax space to add minimum players to fill out the roster.

"If there is one activity the basketball world has mastered, it’s connecting dots," Katz explained. "The relationships are already in Dallas.

"There’s injured All-Star Kyrie Irving, who James teamed up with for a title in Cleveland and who he has tried to play with again since. There’s 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, who the Lakers flipped for Dončić only five months ago — and who James never hoped to see leave. Mavericks GM Nico Harrison is a former executive at Nike, where James has a lucrative shoe contract. As became front-page news after the Lakers acquired Dončić, the two guys who would negotiate this deal, Harrison and Pelinka, go back a long way."

There's also the discussion of whether or not Dallas would have to throw in a future draft pick for 40-year-old LeBron James. If the Lakers ask for their 2029 first-round pick back, Dallas shouldn't consider the deal. There's a chance Doncic doesn't stay in LA, which would make that '29 pick a juicy one.

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

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