Los Angeles Lakers fans have a certain reputation among fans of the other 29 NBA teams. It's not so much about their behavior or mindset, as a pulsing jealousy at the way they have been able to speak their wildest fantasies into existence. They get teased for posting about other team's star players in a Lakers uniform but end up with the last laugh when it actually happens. Shaq, Pau Gasol, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Anthony Davis, Luka Dončić — stars in their prime just seem to migrate to Los Angeles.
This was especially painful for Dallas Mavericks fans last season when GM Nico Harrison, with an incredibly questionable rationale, traded Dončić to the Lakers for Anthony Davis. The Basketball Gods did deliver No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, but Mavs fans have been tortured watching a stunningly svelte Dončić reposition himself as the new foundation in Los Angeles.
But a wild revenge scenario is still very much on the table.
What if LeBron James signs with the Mavericks in free agency?
LeBron picked up his player option this summer, meaning he will be a free agent at the end of next year. The writing appears to be on the wall with the Lakers, who are pivoting to a Luka-centric team-building approach, and this could be LeBron's last year in Los Angeles.
That means LeBron could be looking for a new home next summer, and the Mavericks could make a lot of sense. They'll have Flagg, who very much appears to be a transformational prospect. They'll have former teammate Kyrie Irving. They have talent and depth and versatility, of exactly the kind you want to surround LeBron with.
Oh, and they'll have Davis — who cryptically posted the exact same message as LeBron on his Instagram this week, "Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes."
Would the Mavericks be a contender with LeBron James?
There are still a lot of moving parts, including the financial commitment it would require to add James. But the Mavs could theoretically enter the 2025-26 season with a starting lineup of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Cooper Flagg, D'Angelo Russell and Kyrie Irving. The bench unit could feature holdovers like Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Klay Thompson, Caleb Martin, Naji Marshall, Max Christie and Jaden Hardy.
There are some big defensive question marks, not to mention a lot of aging bodies who would need to stay healthy for that to work. But that's also a lineup with a ton of offensive firepower and position versatility, and a ton of size and defensive upside in the frontcourt. It's also, depending on your perspective, a much better and deeper collection of talent than what the Lakers would theoretically be putting around Dončić.
Mavericks fans would almost certainly rather take a mulligan on the past 12 months and have Dončić back on the roster. But stealing LeBron from the Lakers and making a championship run with a superior roster to the Lakers' is a pretty nice second choice.