LeBron James held interest in leaving Lakers for Mavericks: Report

There was a time when LeBron James wanted to be a Dallas Maverick.

Jan 7, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) laughs during the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

LeBron James has had a drama-filled offseason. Despite opting into his player option to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent, Rich Paul, issued a statement that sounded awfully like a farewell to the Lakers.

James and his camp said they would be keeping an eye on the Lakers' offseason to see if it matched the desire to win now while keeping the books clean for the future to build around Luka Doncic. That started to fuel a lot of trade rumors.

READ MORE: Latest update on Mavericks' interest in Lakers' LeBron James

Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) brings the ball up court against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

A team that instantly became connected with "The King" was the Dallas Mavericks, who have four former teammates and another four former coaches of James. Although those rumors have dwindled to say the Mavericks would only be interested in the event of a buyout, there was a time when James held a strong interest in joining Dallas, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.

"In particular, the whispers about him having eyes for Dallas — a place where he could have teamed up with former teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving and young phenom Cooper Flagg — before opting into his deal were hard to ignore.

"Obviously, James wasn’t willing to leave $52 million on the table to take a nontaxpayer MLE or something similar from the Mavericks or another team. A buyout seems similarly unlikely. Additionally, the tax aprons on both sides will make any in-season transaction with a contender-class team challenging.”

The likely option remains James staying with the Lakers, for now. There wasn't a lot of money available this offseason, which would've made it difficult for any team to try and make a move for him. However, if he wants to keep playing after this season, teams should have a lot more spending room next offseason.

READ MORE: Ex-Maverick reveals lessons learned from Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the offseason

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

• Mavericks sign key piece to $54 million extension amid trade rumors

• BREAKING: Mavericks officially select Cooper Flagg first overall in 2025 NBA Draft

• Kyrie Irving makes massive decision on his future with Mavericks

• Sequence between Cooper Flagg, Bronny James goes viral during Mavericks-Lakers