Dallas Mavs Pipe-Dream: Could Los Angeles Lakers' Struggles Lead to LeBron James Trade?

If the Los Angeles Lakers continue to struggle this season, keep in mind that Kyrie Irving already tried to recruit him to the Dallas Mavericks during the offseason.

It's way too early to say that the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be a bad team this season, but through eight games, the 3-5 squad led by 38-year-old LeBron James hasn't looked anything like the team that made it to the Western Conference Finals as a seventh seed last season. Their latest outing was a 128-94 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets.

It's also probably way too early to say the Dallas Mavericks are going to be looking to make a splashy trade for a third superstar player. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have led the Mavs to an encouraging 6-2 start, and one could argue that they're just one more rotational wing and/or big man away from entering the title conversation. As of right now, they could use some upgraded backup-center depth, as well as more size on the wing.

All that being said, though, we like our occasional pipe-dream trade ideas here at DallasBasketball.com, and if the Lakers continue to struggle throughout this season, it's easy to see how James could potentially find his way to the Mavs before the February trade deadline.

James has a player option for next season, and if he declines it, he could be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Although his best days are behind him, the NBA's All-Time Leading Scorer is still putting up star numbers in year 21. In eight games, James is averaging 24.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 55.9 percent.

During the offseason, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Irving reached out to James to gauge his interest on potentially joining the Mavs in the future. A separate rumor stated that James told Irving he'd "think about it" ... and that was before rookie starting center Dereck Lively II made his presence felt, elevating this current Dallas roster. Interesting, isn't it?

Given that James could walk for nothing next summer, if he decides that he wants a trade this season, the Lakers won't have much leverage. That doesn't mean they'd be obligated to trade him, of course, but it could become a situation where they might want to recoup what assets they can.

If James did end up on the Mavs, he'd have to be willing to accept a secondary role to Doncic for it to work. He's always been the No. 1 guy on every team he's been on throughout his career, but now might be the perfect time for him to take a small step back while still producing at a high level and potentially extending his career several more years. Not to mention, a trio of Doncic, James and Irving would instantly make the Mavs a title contender.

A lot has to happen between now and February for something like this to even have a small chance of materializing, so far, the Lakers look like they peaked last season, and the Mavs look like they're a team on the rise while having two star players that just so happen to be James' favorite two players. At the very least, it's something to keep an on.