Amid all the LeBron James trade speculation that has filled the offseason over the last few weeks, one team stood out as forbidden fruit when it comes to potential suitors. That would be the Dallas Mavericks. They are, however, not interested in the complications that would come from the deal.
The issues here do not stem from the bad optics of negotiating with the Los Angeles Lakers that one could imagine following the blockbuster trade that landed Luka Doncic in Hollywood. Rather, it was the financial aspects of the deal that are keeping them away, according to The Athletic.
Dan Woike and Joe Vardon wrote, "One team linked to James — the Dallas Mavericks — does not have interest in gutting its roster to match James’ salary in a trade, a team source told The Athletic."
That reported stance is understandable without doubt. A potential deal with the Mavericks would indeed force Dallas to sacrifice a ton of their depth to make the money work in exchange for a home-run swing. That 'win-now' approach reportedly does not hold much interest for the Mavericks here.
Lack of quality LeBron James trade suitors leaves little doubt about his future
The major point of the write-up from Woike and Vardon was to quiet the rumblings surrounding what happens with James from here. For one reason or another, the two writers felt extremely confident that LeBron would still be with the Lakers when training camp arrives.
That is a fair estimation at this point. The initial wave of loud reactions brought forward by ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne offering an inside look at the situation were tough to ignore. Looking back, there may have been an overdramatization of the environment behind the scenes.
One of the key messages from Woike and Vardon had to do with just how hard it would be to find a trade that satisfies both James and the Lakers. Many of the top candidates and natural links are just not practical solutions.
The "we would only be interested in LeBron if he's bought out" sentiment from opposing teams always struck me as a thinly-veiled shot at the Lakers more than a realistic option. Similar to the "the Lakers should amnesty Kobe" comments from years ago.
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) July 16, 2025
The Cleveland Cavaliers being over the second apron makes them tough to do business with. The Golden State Warriors' best offer would negatively impact the financial flexibility that the Lakers have prioritized. The same could be said for the New York Knicks.
The Mavericks oddly represented arguably the best opportunity to find something that works for both sides. However, as reported, the willingness for Nico Harrison to get involved with the Lakers here has been overstated by many.
What has grown more clear by the day is James and the Lakers are stuck with each other, for better or for worse. That should be the case for at least the 2025-26 season.