Where Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will play in the 2025-26 season doesn’t seem to be entirely clear with all of the rumors that have circulated about his future lately.
Plus, betting odds from earlier in the month indicated that the Dallas Mavericks have as good a chance as any team to land James should he not play for the Lakers this coming season.
The odds tabbed the Mavericks as the favorites to acquire James if he lands with a new team.
Not long after the Mavericks were crowned as the favorites in the James sweepstakes, The Athletic’s John Hollinger has reported that whispers of James teaming up with the likes of guard Kyrie Irving, big man Anthony Davis and recent No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg on the Mavericks were “hard to ignore” at Summer League.
“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, 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.
“Nonetheless, this situation bears watching from both sides, particularly if L.A. starts the regular season slowly. The Lakers set themselves up to have max cap room next summer once James’ salary comes off their books, taking advantage of an artificially low cap hold for Austin Reaves. If that’s their angle, wouldn’t it make sense to cash in their James stock if they aren’t challenging at the top of the West? Meanwhile, James has some power to choose his next destination via a no-trade clause, but free agency isn’t what it used to be. The best realistic way for him to get paid next summer by his team of choice is to land at his preferred destination via trade, and then have intact Bird rights in the summer of 2026.”
The appeal for James to join the Mavericks is evident since he enjoyed some successful seasons playing alongside one of Irving or Davis at earlier points in his pro career.
First, he spent much of his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers playing alongside Irving, and the dynamic duo was key to the team winning the 2016 NBA title and pulling off a historic 3-1 series comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Then, James and Davis were teammates on the Lakers when the team won its 17th title in franchise history in 2020.
Not only does James have history playing with Davis and Irving, but being Flagg’s teammate stands out an alluring opportunity for the 40-year-old as well.
Flagg stuffed the stat sheet in 37 games with Duke University in the 2024-25 collegiate season, and he seemingly has the skill set to be an impactful NBA player from the jump.
He could also potentially lighten James’ scoring and playmaking loads, as both players play the forward position.
The Mavericks and Lakers recently executed a major trade involving star players, as ahead of the February trade deadline, the Mavericks shocked plenty of people by trading guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers for a trade package highlighted by Davis.
