Mavs Top Betting Odds for Lakers’ LeBron James Trade; Reading NBA Rumor Tea Leaves
Although no new rumors have surfaced after Kyrie Irving reportedly reached out to recruit Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to the Dallas Mavericks a little more than a week ago, that apparently hasn't stopped oddsmakers from buying the hype.
According to SportsBetting.ag's re-opened "next team" odds, the Mavs are at the top of the list for James with 3/1 odds. The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are right behind Dallas with 4/1 and 5/1 odds, respectively.
Many are skeptical that James would really choose to leave Los Angeles, considering that his son, Bronny, recently committed to play college basketball at USC. James' family is comfortably rooted in L.A. after five seasons with the Lakers, and it would understandably be hard for him to leave that.
However, if maximizing his chances to win another NBA championship is important enough, then James might consider finishing out his illustrious career in a new setting. Although the Lakers made it to the Western Conference Finals this season, being swept by the eventual-champion Denver Nuggets showed just how far off L.A. is from winning a title. James isn't getting any younger, and Anthony Davis is an incredible talent, but he can't stay healthy and has a tendency to be inconsistent from game to game.
One rumor states that James told Irving he would "think about it," when asked to consider joining the Mavs, and why wouldn't he? James won a championship with Irving in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the two have remained close since then. James has also been on the record saying that Luka Doncic is his favorite player in the league, and there were rumors about him potentially considering joining the Mavs even before Irving found his way to Dallas.
All of this stuff is unlikely and surely must be taken with a grain of salt, but the Mavs aren't the betting favorites to land LeBron for no reason. The logic is there, and we'll just have to see if 1) joining Doncic and Irving in Dallas is something James truly want, and 2) GM Nico Harrison can make such a trade work with limited assets compared to what other teams could offer.
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