NBA Rumors: Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has reportedly reached out to Lakers star LeBron James in hopes of swaying him to Texas.
LeBron James still has a year left on his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. While James sounded uncertain about whether he will play next season at all, the idea of him joining another team was not considered…until now.
James' former teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving, has reached out to LeBron about forcing his way to Dallas.
The Lakers as currently constructed reached the Western Conference Finals. James has a decent squad at his disposal, led by himself, Anthony Davis and up and comers like Austin Reaves. Is that really worth leaving for a team which failed to reach the postseason?
NBA Rumors: Would LeBron James leave Lakers for Mavericks?
The idea of LeBron leaving Los Angeles is bizarre enough. He's nearing the end of his incredible NBA run, and was just four wins away from making the Finals yet again. With the right moves from general manager Rob Pelinka, perhaps James will find himself in a similar position next year.
The Mavs, meanwhile, feature Irving and Luka Doncic. Doncic is one of the best players in basketball, and one of the best pure offensive talents the league has ever seen. He can score from every level.
James, while not the player he once was, is still an all-NBA talent. He's capable of winning another championship on the right team, and has plenty of leeway with the Lakers front office. Demanding a trade, it would seem, goes against his best interest.
Any trade for James would be difficult to achieve from a luxury tax perspective as well. Per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the tax this year more resembles a hard cap, making it difficult to have three max players on the same roster. That's exactly the predicament Dallas would be in if they added LBJ, meaning someone would likely have to take a salary cut.
In theory, adding a player like LeBron is a good idea for any team that wants to win. However, James has shown no indication that he wants to leave the Lakers. Also, the Mavericks haven't proven they can win with this core, so it would big a rather major leap by one of the best players ever to join Kyrie and Luka, no matter how much he may admire them.
