Could Lakers trade LeBron James if they start season slowly?

LeBron James is still under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the rumblings about his future continue to flood social media.

He's inching closer to the end of his career, and while this might be his final season, he certainly looks like someone who could continue to play at a high level for another year or two.

That's where the Dallas Mavericks could come in. According to John Hollinger of the Athletic, James may have given some serious thought to playing for them.

"In particular, the whispers about (James) 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," Hollinger wrote.

While James wasn't going to give up north of $50M to fulfill that wish, Hollinger believes that the Lakers could choose to move him and get something in return as opposed to letting him walk for free.

"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," Hollinger added. "Nonetheless, this situation bears watching from both sides, particularly if L.A. starts the regular season slowly."

The Lakers are pivoting towards superstar guard Luka Doncic, which only makes sense, given his youth.

But if the team doesn't hit the ground running, and if it doesn't get any sort of insurance about James' future with the organization, it might make sense for all parties to work something out.