3 teams that could steal LeBron James in 2024
LeBron James has a player option for the 2024-2025 NBA season, which means this upcoming campaign could be his last with the Los Angeles Lakers. Here are the three biggest contenders to be the legend's next team.
By Sam Penix
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is under contract for the 2023-24 NBA season. But while he is owed over $51 million in 2024-25, that year is a player option for him.
That means he could choose to opt out, become a free agent, and join a new team in the hopes of pursuing another NBA title, or fulfilling other legacy goals of his.
If James does decide to leave Los Angeles, here are three teams who could lure the league's all-time leading scorer to their city.
LeBron James Rumors: 3 teams that could steal star from Lakers in 2024
3. Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic is one of the NBA's premier players, and his do-it-all skillset is somewhat reminiscent of James' versatility on the court. Dallas finished last season with a record of 38-44, missing the playoffs.
However, their roster features a former James sidekick in Kyrie Irving, with the pair last playing together in 2016-17. Irving had demanded a trade in hopes of getting out from underneath James' shadow, and while he hasn't had much playoff success since then, Irving has developed into a truly elite offensive player; a smarter and more efficient version of the guy he was in Cleveland.
During this past free agency period, Irving reportedly reached out to James in an attempt to form a reunion with the Mavericks, signaling that whatever possessed Irving to leave James before is now water under the bridge.
It remains to be seen what exactly a reunion would look like and the roster gymnastics that Mark Cuban would need to perform in order to land James, but if he could make it work without jettisoning too much depth, the Mavericks could pose a serious threat to the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference.
Beyond Doncic and Irving, Dallas has players like Josh Green, Seth Curry, Tim Hardaway Jr., Richaun Holmes, Maxi Kleber, and Grant Williams, all of whom could be quality role players on a championship team led by a big 3 of Doncic, Irving, and James. If the latter two have patched up their relationship, this could be a legitimate possibility next offseason.