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Rumor: LeBron James Had ‘Eyes’ For Mavericks Before Picking Up Player Option With Lakers

Originally posted on Hoops Wire | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 1:35 PM ET

LeBron James, the leading scorer in NBA history, had “eyes” for the Dallas Mavericks before he picked up his 2025-26 player option with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $52.6 million, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.

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.

“While he opted in to the final year of his contract and does not appear to be an imminent trade candidate, as our Joe Vardon and Dan Woike reported here, that doesn’t necessarily mean returning to the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year deal was at the top of his wish list,” Hollinger wrote. “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, LeBron 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.”

James has a no-trade clause in his contract. He has the option of requesting a trade from the Lakers and telling the franchise where to send him.

However, James is expected to begin next season in Los Angeles. The NBA legend could retire after the 2025-26 season.

James has been heavily linked to the Mavericks because the organization has Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Jason Kidd, Phil Handy and Nico Harrison, five people with close ties to the Akron native.

James, Irving and Handy won the 2016 championship together on the Cleveland Cavaliers, James, Davis, Kidd and Handy won the 2020 title together on the Lakers and Harrison knows James from his days as an exec with Nike.

Anything is possible in today’s NBA, especially after Harrison traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers. However, all signs point toward James being on the Lakers and having his farewell tour as a member of the purple and gold.