ESPN fuels Mavericks' hope to pull off dream LeBron James move

LeBron James and the Dallas Mavericks have been linked in rumors since the beginning of the offseason, when James and the Los Angeles Lakers hinted at a different future. The Lakers appear to be fully leaning into their youth and development around Luka Doncic. While James remains on the team for the next season, he is obviously trying to win one last championship before calling it a career in the next season or two.

Despite rumors flooding every fan's timeline this summer, James and the Lakers have decided to put their differences aside until at least the trade deadline. There's no doubt that it would be hard to trade James, considering he is on a ludicrous $52.6 million contract that lasts the rest of this upcoming season, but there's no doubt that James' future in the purple and gold is looking dim.

With this in mind, plenty of teams are beginning to position themselves for a potential one-year retirement tour with James on their roster. In fact, ESPN recently conducted a survey where they asked scouts, coaches, and executives where they believe James will end up for the 2026-27 NBA season, and the Mavericks may have more hope of capturing James than fans realize.

LeBron James to Dallas may not be an impossible outcome next summer

In a recent offseason survey that ESPN conducted, where they got the opinion of 20 anonymous NBA figures, they were asked where they believe James would land in the 2026-27 NBA season. While over half of those who voted believed that James would retire or ride out one last season in Los Angeles, there were a few voters who believed that James could end up somewhere else, and even the Mavericks received one vote.

There is reason to believe that James could end up making this his final year in the NBA, but the four-time champion recently expressed interest in playing with his youngest son, who is set to enter his freshman season at the University of Arizona this coming season. While this might seem like yet another pipe dream for James, he and the Lakers have begun to build a resentment for one another, dating back to when the Lakers pulled the trigger on the trade to bring in Doncic.

For the Mavericks, bringing in James would make perfect sense if they could get him on the right contract. Signing James to a deal for one last ride and shot at an NBA championship alongside Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg, and Anthony Davis would be a story made in heaven.

Not only would James make an instant impact on a Dallas team looking for more star power off the bench, but alongside Flagg, James could have the perfect knowledge to pass down a torch of greatness. While it's still a pipe dream for James to end up in Dallas, he has plenty of former teammates and even coaches who could lure him into potentially spending his final season with the Mavericks.

Not only that, but the Mavericks could potentially position themselves for a year two Flagg run that could take them all the way to the finals if healthy. Playing alongside former coaches and teammates, as well as having the opportunity to play alongside Flagg and win a championship in his final season, could be enough to entice the 22-year veteran.

There's no doubt that James to Dallas likely won't even happen in the first place, and there's plenty of reason to believe that James could just remain a Laker next season, but the Mavericks could have enough asking power to tempt James into one last hoorah with a new team.