The Dallas Mavericks have had an interesting 2025, and it might have had the chance to include another blockbuster deal.
Over the past few months, all of the headlines in Dallas have still had some connection to the Luka Doncic trade. While Cooper Flagg’s addition has helped the Mavericks move on in the short term, there are still plenty of rumblings about what Dallas might look like with its do-it-all star next season.
Of course, this summer has featured plenty of rumors about another superstar’s potential move to Dallas. LeBron James’ future with the Los Angeles Lakers has been uncertain for the past few weeks, but it appears that the four-time MVP will be staying in Los Angeles.
However, all signs pointed to the Dallas Mavericks being his likely next team if the superstar bolted. The Athletic’s John Hollinger gave a little more insight into that potential move in a recent article.
“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.”
Anything revolving around a potential move from James will be hard to ignore as long as he is in the league. While other stars have made their mark in recent years, it’s still hard to argue against James being the face of the NBA.
When rumors began swirling about James’ interest in Dallas, Nico Harrison briefly looked like a mad scientist whose plan was coming together perfectly. However, a reunion with a couple of his championship co-stars seems out of reach for James next season.
With other reports stating that Dallas would only be interested in James after a buyout, it seems unlikely that he ends up in Mavericks uniform. Nonetheless, it still means something that the Mavericks might have been at the top of James’ list.