If the Los Angeles Lakers move on from LeBron James, many expected the Dallas Mavericks to be in the mix.
However, from the Lakers' perspective, trading James is the only way it could make some sense. The Lakers have limited assets and nearly no draft picks to move on from.
If they could get two or more for James, they'd at least put themselves in a better position to pair Luka Doncic, the former Mavericks star, with more talent.
And according to a recent article from the Dallas Morning News, if the Lakers move on from him, executives and agents around the league believe the Lakers would be looking for multiple rotation players, whether it be from the Mavericks or another team.
“The Dallas Morning News spoke to several league executives, agents and team personnel during the first day of games in Las Vegas and there was one common sentiment: It would be extremely difficult for the Mavericks, and most teams, to acquire a player like James through a trade without parting ways with multiple rotation players,” they wrote.
While it's possible that James could be bought out, it's tough to see a scenario where that plays out.
Ultimately, the Lakers have to worry about their future, and if James doesn't want to play for them any longer, they should eventually be able to find a home for him.
MORE: Mavericks trade proposal lands 22.6 PPG scorer to replace Kyrie Irving
However, giving up multiple rotation players for a 41-year-old would be tough to justify in some sense from the Mavericks and other teams' perspective.
Of course, there's always the side of an argument that suggests that adding James brings other things to a team, as he's a massive figure, but that's something teams would have to figure out.