LeBron James Trade Rumors See Dallas Mavericks Reach +125 Favorites Status On Betting Markets

LeBron James has been sending all kinds of passive-aggressive signs to the Lakers front office, and Dallas are favorites to land him now.

LeBron James Trade Rumors See Dallas Mavericks Reach +125 Favorites Status On Betting Markets

LeBron James wants Lakers to build championship roster (Image via FirstSportz)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

It was only three months ago that Lakers fans were dreaming of an extended streak as NBA contenders. The roster had received a shot in the arm after Anthony Davis was traded away for Luka Doncic. AD and Max Christie became the casualties as Rob Pelinka received a deal many thought to be impossible. But in the weeks since, LeBron James and the Lakers bowed out of the playoffs with just one win in the series.

The glaring hole at the center spot on the roster, which was apparent even in the regular season, became an obvious issue for the Lakers defense. LeBron James himself had to play at the small ball 5 as Jaxson Hayes could stop fouling the Wolves’ big men. The Lakers were walloped in three straight 4th quarters as James himself had a 26-minute streak with no points in the final periods of Games 3 to 5 of the first round.

The Lakers have taken steps to strengthen their roster, even if the media noise around their front office suggests otherwise. They have brought in Deandre Ayton, who has all the potential in the world to be a long term solution at the 5 alongside Luka Doncic. Though they have lost Dorian Finney-Smith, they have other defensive players who can take up the role of defending the point of attack in aggregate, at least on paper.

But none of this seems to be enough for LeBron James and Rich Paul. The Klutch Sports CEO, not so subtly, hinted that he is angling for a move away from Los Angeles for his client. He appeared on various interviews in the past few weeks to suggest that there are a few teams that would like to pursue James as a trade target. However, there has been no original reporting suggesting that this could actually happen.

Yet, the Dallas Mavericks have moved up on the Vegas oddsmakers’ list as the likeliest destination for King James. This would reunite James with his Lakers running mate Anthony Davis, if the deal does take place.

Does a move make sense for either LeBron James or the Dallas Mavericks?

Short of trading away Anthony Davis or Cooper Flagg, there is no viable way for the Mavericks to get this trade done. Kyrie Irving is currently out injured till mid-way through the 2025-26 NBA season, so he would not be a strong trade bait. And while Nico Harrison has proved to be a foolhardy maker of moves by trading Luka Doncic away, he would not dare to repeat the same unpopular move twice, especially to bring in an ageing player.

LeBron James would like to fight for a 5th title before retiring
LeBron James would like to fight for a 5th title before retiring (Image via Blockbet/X)

LeBron James himself has seen how his last few playoffs have ended even with Anthony Davis anchoring his defense. Nikola Jokic (twice) and Anthony Edwards have shown him that the future is here for his old self. James is 2-12 in his last three playoff series, and his teams have looked completely out of their depth in each of these series.

Luka Doncic, on the other hand, is coming off a Conference Finals series and a Finals run in his last two playoff runs before joining James. The Lakers don’t have to do anything, and any player they get in exchange for James in a theoretical trade would almost certainly align better with the timeline of their Slovenian star than James does at his ripe old age of 40. Simply put, there is no deal the Lakers could make that sends LeBron James away.

Also Read: