Why LeBron to the Mavs is “Unrealistic”

Dallas, Texas (PSF) - It would be rather surprising if LeBron James was on the Dallas Mavericks next season, even if that is what former teammate Kyrie Irving reportedly wants.

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Jovan Buha of The Athletic cited a source with the Lakers who called such a possibility “unrealistic” in large part because Dallas doesn’t have the pieces to land one of the best players in NBA history.

If James were to demand a trade and the Lakers were to entertain offers, it would take a haul of assets to lure the star to Dallas. Players such as Tim Hardaway Jr., Davis Bertans, Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, the No. 10 Pick in the 2023 Draft, and another first-round pick to get the deal done.

The Lakers already have in-house talent they would want to keep for the long run like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura knowing they would need long terms deals and extending Anthony Davis but the Lakers would be over the salary cap.

From the Mavericks' perspective, they would love to have a chance to have James, Irving, and Luka playing alongside each other. After all the Mavericks failed to reach the playoff/play after the addition of Kyrie Irving.

It would likely take more than a long list of role players and some draft compensation from Dallas to convince them to trade the future Hall of Famer. Dallas can’t afford talent-wise to keep Luka happy and salary cap-wise.