The 2025-26 NBA season is fast approaching, and rumors surrounding LeBron James’ future are still circulating after a summer of speculation.
LeBron James reportedly wants to leave the Los Angeles Lakers this summer as he seeks his fifth NBA title in his 23rd NBA season. However, those reports subsided after the Lakers made moves such as signing Deandre Ayton.
However, James will miss the opening game for the first time in his career. He has been suffering from sciatica throughout the offseason and will be re-examined in the coming weeks. That begs the question of whether James is the right person to partner with Luka Doncic.
James remains one of the NBA’s 10 best performers. When healthy, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is an incredible second star who can play alongside Doncic, the NBA’s mainstay. However, he is 40 years old and has a growing number of injuries.
If the Lakers were to make a shocking move and trade James this season, NBA analysts would be looking at a blockbuster deal that would reunite James with two former teammates.
The Dallas Mavericks and Lakers already rocked the NBA last season by trading Doncic for Anthony Davis. In one move, the history of the league was changed forever.
Despite Doncic’s departure, the Mavericks have a chance at a championship this season. Their generational draft pick, Cooper Flagg, has looked as advertised in the preseason, and with Davis and Kyrie Irving by his side, they have the star power to make a deep run.
They also have a strong supporting cast with elite shooting and defense, so if the Mavericks are at full strength this season, their role players could be of interest to a team like the Lakers.
Chris Vernon explained this on the Kevin O’Connor Show:
“Klay Thompson signed up to play with Luka Doncic. Klay Thompson’s father called the game for the Lakers, so that’s where it ended up. P.J. Washington is the perfect partner for Luka. We know that and it worked out.”
“We can get Klay, we can get P.J. Washington, we can throw in some other pieces that work, so LeBron can play with his buddy Kyrie and his buddy Anthony Davis.
“I really don’t think it’s unbelievable. Is it unbelievable that Nico Harrison was talking to Klutch about this before he did anything with Anthony Davis?”
Even though it would be strange to see James in a Dallas jersey, playing alongside his former championship teammates Davis and Irving would be a fitting end to his career.
But this trade idea hinges on whether Harrison has the courage to pick up the phone on Rob Pelinka again. You could be forgiven for blocking your own number after the reaction to the Doncic trade!
This would be a blockbuster trade, and if Austin Reeves continues to perform as well as he did last season, it’s easy to see why the Lakers could pull it off. LA has two star players in Doncic and Reeves, but it’s clear they need to strengthen their depth.
However, Vernon appears to have considered this move only from one team’s perspective. The last thing Dallas needs right now is to trade a role player for another aging star.
The Mavericks sold their future to Doncic and acquired Kristaps Porzingis and Irving in a blockbuster trade in hopes of winning a title. Their courage almost paid off when Doncic led them to the 2024 NBA Finals.
But their ambition over the past few years means there are only a few assets left to build around Flag going forward. Dallas needs role players to go along with their young stars, and if they were to be traded for anything, it would be draft picks.
If James makes this move, he would be acquiring another aging star who is not on the same timeline as Flagg. It might be fun during the season, but it won’t be fun once he retires. In theory, they could waive all of their role players for one year of James.