Dallas Mavericks Betting Favorite to Trade for Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James
The Dallas Mavericks are the new betting favorite to trade for Los Angeles Lakers star and NBA legend LeBron James.
James won the 2016 NBA championship with Kyrie Irving on the Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2020 title with Anthony Davis on the Lakers.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd played with James on Team USA in 2008 and was an assistant coach on the Lakers in 2020 and Dallas GM Nico Harrison and James have a rapport since Harrison used to be an exec at Nike.
According to NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, the Cavaliers, Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers are interested in trading for James, who has a no-trade clause in his contract.
Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group told NBA reporter Dave McMenamin of ESPN that four teams have contacted him expressing interest in trading for James, the leading scorer of all time.
James opted in to his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers worth $52.6 million. This is the first time in James’ iconic NBA career that he’s playing in the final year of his contract.
After James picked up his 2025-26 player option, Paul issued the following statement to NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN:
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
James made the All-NBA Second Team last season and finished sixth in MVP voting. He’s still an elite player despite being the oldest guy in the league.
It will be fascinating to see where James is playing next season. LeBron, 40, averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 2024-25.
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