A bomb dropped in the middle of the NBA Finals when it was reported that Kyrie Irving is recruiting Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James to come join him and Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks. The news sent shockwaves across the NBA as a Doncic-James-Irving trio, on paper, would undoubtedly be up there in terms of the greatest Big Three in NBA history.
The Mavs' 2022-23 season fell apart in the second half of the campaign, even after the Mavs traded for Irving. They finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 38-44 record. The Luka-Kyrie tandem simply did not meet expectations, going 5-11 in games they played together. Irving will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Mavs are doing all they can to re-sign him considering the haul of assets and players they gave up to acquire him.
Meanwhile, LeBron James and the Lakers had quite the opposite campaign. After starting the season 2-10, the Lakers rallied near the end of the season on the backbone of a terrific trade deadline that saw them trade Russell Westbrook to bring in pieces that fit more with James and Anthony Davis. Los Angeles made it to the playoffs and even knocked off the defending champion Golden State Warriors before getting swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
LeBron made some waves after the loss by suggesting he could retire, but nobody believes he would actually do that. There have also been plenty of rumors about Kyrie going to the Lakers, but signs point to that not happening either. Now we get this report about Irving recruiting his former teammate to Dallas.
As we imagine this Big Three in our minds, let's take a look at the best deal the Mavs can offer the Lakers in a hypothetical trade for LeBron James. A straight-up deal between the two teams would look like this and would have to happen on draft night or later.
Mavs-Lakers deal
Lakers get: Christian Wood, Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, Mavs 10th overall pick, Mavs 2027 first-round pick, future pick swaps
Mavs get: LeBron James
Unfortunately for the Mavs, they don't have a ton to work with when it comes to trading for LeBron James and forming a Big Three. A bunch of their future draft capital is tied up in other trades, limiting what they can offer. Jaden Hardy and Josh Green would at least be intriguing young players for the Lakers to get some young talent to kickstart a new era of Lakers basketball.
Some other teams may be able to offer better packages than what the Mavs currently have. But Dallas could get another team to do a three-team deal to facilitate James' reunion with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate.
One team the Mavs could try calling is the Phoenix Suns. Here is a potential three-team deal between the Lakers, Suns, and Mavs that could make sense for all sides.
Mavs-Lakers-Suns deal
Mavs get: LeBron James
Lakers get: Deandre Ayton, Davis Bertans, Reggie Bullock, Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, Mavs 10th overall pick, Mavs 2027 first-round pick, future pick swaps
Suns get: Tim Hardaway Jr., Christian Wood, Malik Beasley
So, in this deal, the Mavs land James and get their covered Big Three. Meanwhile, the Lakers get to build around a still-promising young stud in Deandre Ayton, as well as a top-10 pick in this year's draft. Dallas also empties the draft cupboard to acquire James and gives them pick swaps, as well. Davis Bertans and Reggie Bullock will serve as salary fillers and could be potential trade candidates down the line depending on what direction the Lakers go with post-trade. And, once again, Dallas could also dangle youngsters Josh Green and Jaden Hardy.
Meanwhile, Phoenix trades a disgruntled star in Ayton, who wants to get more of a spotlight. He will get that in Los Angeles alongside Anthony Davis. By trading Ayton, the Suns get a ton of depth to surround Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul. Christian Wood slots as their starting big man. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley still offer value as snipers on the wings.
Landing James would be a dream scenario for Mavs fans. But given the assets they have, it may honestly be looking more like a pipedream. Still, it is free to dream.
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