The NBA world was buzzing when Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Kyrie Irving reached out to LeBron James to see if he would join the Mavericks, but let’s be real, there are several reasons that a LeBron-to-Dallas scenario would be virtually impossible.
For starters, LeBron is still under contract with the Lakers. He recently signed a two-year extension that pays him $46.9 million in 2023-24 and gives him a player option for $50.7 million in 2024-25.
Which simply means that he can’t move to another team without the help of the Lakers. So why would the Lakers want to trade him to the Mavericks?
The Mavericks gave up a huge chunk of their assets to get Irving last season, including most of their useful role players, a 2029 first-round pick, and their two remaining second-round picks, which means they don’t have enough left to interest the Lakers.
Plus, the Mavericks don’t have nearly enough value to trade for LeBron. While the Mavericks could theoretically trade for James’ contract, they can only trade their 2027 first-round pick and the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft after they make that selection.
A buyout scenario for LeBron is pure fantasy. Even though it’s technically possible, there’s less of a chance of that happening than there is of me joining the Lakers.
If the Lakers were to place James on waivers for a buyout, every team in the league would want to pick up James’ contract for free if they had an opportunity.
There’s absolutely nothing preventing a team like the Rockets from pouncing on the chance to get James off waivers, at which point he would be on their roster on his current $97.6 million deal over the next two seasons.
Another reason why LeBron-to-Dallas won’t happen is that there’s no reason for him to want to play for the Mavericks. After all, they failed to make the Play-In Tournament last season, while the Lakers made it to the Western Conference Finals. If James’ goal is to win, he’s already in a place where he’s getting closer to it.
On top of that, the Mavericks would be in salary cap hell if they added James to a core of Luka Doncic and Irving. It would be almost impossible under the new collective bargaining agreement to fill out that roster.
It seems far-fetched to believe that he would be willing to move there, especially since his son Bronny recently committed to playing college basketball at USC. That being said, it seems like James and Irving are trying to play together again, which is definitely exciting for NBA fans
James expressed disappointment at last season’s trade deadline when the Lakers couldn’t pull off a move to get Irving. But bringing James to Dallas would be unrealistic for many different reasons. The reverse scenario of getting Irving to LA as a free agent seems more likely, but it’s still a stretch.
The decision to trade a player comes down to whether a team believes it’s in their best interests. So, maybe down the road, there’s a scenario where the Lakers and Mavericks form a trade that sends LeBron to Dallas and the Mavericks give up a ton of assets to do it.
The fact of the matter is that there are too many obstacles in the way of a LeBron-to-Dallas trade for it to be considered plausible. Attempting to do so would require the Mavericks to give up a massive amount of assets and take on an enormous financial burden, which would undoubtedly put the franchise in a difficult position for years to come.
So, while the possibility of seeing James and Irving reunited on the court is exciting, it’s more likely to happen in Los Angeles than Dallas. At the end of the day, fans can dream about what could happen, but the reality is that it’s unlikely to become a reality any time soon.
In the meantime, fans can appreciate the amazing basketball that James is currently playing with the Lakers. He’s still one of the best players in the league and will undoubtedly continue to make headlines with his incredible performances. For Mavericks fans, it’s exciting to imagine what Luka and Irving can do together on the court.
Regardless of how things shake out, the NBA offseason is always full of surprises, and there’s no telling what will happen next. Fans can expect to see more rumors and speculation in the coming months as the league prepares for another exciting season of basketball.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. The NBA is always full of surprises and drama, which is part of what makes it so exciting to watch. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show as we wait to see what the future holds for these two superstar players.
There’s no denying that a LeBron-to-Dallas trade scenario would be exciting, but it’s just not realistic at this point. Instead, fans should focus on the amazing talents of the players who are currently on their favorite teams, and look forward to the incredible moments that are sure to come in the next NBA season.
