Could Luka Doncic & Jason Kidd Lure LeBron James to Dallas Mavs After Lakers?
The Los Angeles Lakers were considered by some as being among the league's top title threats entering the 2021-22 season. At the NBA All-Star Break, they hold an underachieving 27-31 record and are very much on course to be a play-in tournament participant.
The Russell Westbrook trade has looked like a significant blunder for the Lakers — depleting them of key pieces in the supporting cast that helped their 2020 NBA Finals run.
During his 2022 NBA All-Star media availability, LeBron James essentially put all 30 NBA teams on notice; if you draft my son Bronny, I will come play for you. The soonest Bronny is expected to be eligible for the NBA Draft is in 2024, taking place after LeBron's two-year contract extension he signed with the Lakers.
“My last year will be played with my son,” James told James Lloyd of The Athletic. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
There's clearly a lot that to unpack when it comes to the idea of identifying the team that will be in the hypothetical position to select LeBron's son in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, there's far more of a case to be made for the Mavericks as a potential landing spot.
Let's start with the clear-cut answer here; playing with Luka Doncic. James heaped a lot of praise onto Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic. "King James" went as far to say that Doncic "reminds me of the way I play the game."
“The way he plays the game reminds me of the way I play the game," James said. "We’re triple threats. We rebound, we pass, which is the number one thing on our mind. … and we’ll put 40 on you too if you disrespect us.”
Doncic, who has already earned two All-NBA First-Team nominations, is playing at an elite level and could be on his way to yet another one of those honors. James and Doncic could take turns ripping apart defenses in the half-court in addition to engaging in one of the most dynamic two-man games in recent memory.
The Mavericks have managed to improve to being one of the better defensive teams in the league this season, too. Dallas has posted a 107.2 defensive rating leading into the NBA All-Star Break, which ranks fifth among all teams. Without elite personnel, coaching has been key, which leads us into the next point...
The level of respect that James holds for former Lakers assistant coach and current Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd should not be understated. According to ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz in a Jan. 2020 report, multiple sources stated that James views Kidd as being the "only person alive who sees the game of basketball with his level of clarity."
Of course, the usual footnotes for any free agent could be mentioned, too. The state of Texas is one of the few NBA markets that does not have any state income tax. Oh, yeah, and let's not forget, one of the various NFL teams James has been a fan of is none other than the Dallas Cowboys.
Again, it's far too early to determine where Bronny will end up being selected if he were to be picked in the 2024 NBA Draft. For the Mavericks, they will at least have their 2024 first-round pick if the outstanding top 10 protected 2023 selection they owe the New York Knicks were to convey, which by all accounts it should.
