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Buzz and speculation regarding a LeBron James trade remain alive and well, as it's unclear whether or not he'll remain with the Los Angeles Lakers in the final year of his contract. With rumors running rampant, it appears the Dallas Mavericks have emerged as the betting favorite to potentially land the four-time NBA champion.
Dallas jumped up as a +125 betting favorite to acquire James if the Lakers decide to trade the 40-year-old forward. That's a significant difference between the other four teams, possibly in the mix, as the Mavericks are seemingly well ahead of the pack in terms of betting odds to trade for LeBron James.
However, as of this publishing, the odds did shift for the Mavericks, as they are now +250 on Bovada. Regardless, Dallas is still firmly well ahead of the rest of the league in the betting odds.
Updated odds:
Mavericks (+250)
Heat (+500)
Cavaliers (+550)
Warriors(+600)
Knicks (+800)
If the Mavericks were to trade for LeBron James, it's hard to imagine Dallas giving up someone like Cooper Flagg. If anything, it would be a package deal that gives the Lakers more than one player, along with one or more draft picks. As for James, he would likely team up with Flagg, alongside Anthony Davis again, and possibly even reunite with Kyrie Irving.
We'll have to see if a crazy trade like this comes to fruition or not. Two things that are holding up a possible trade for LeBron James are his age and contract. Although James is still one of the best players in the league, there isn't much longevity remaining, considering he's nearing retirement and will be 41 by late December. Additionally, the four-time MVP winner opted into the final year of his contract, which is north of $52 million in the 2025-26 season.
But if the Mavericks are all-in on winning a championship, this could be the right move. Dallas is in a rare situation where the front office could make a trade for someone like James to make a serious push for a title for just next season and still have an extremely talented prospect in Cooper Flagg to continue building around after the 2025-26 campaign concludes.
