Newest LeBron James bombshell rumor erupts into wild Mavericks future rumbles

From rumors regarding the futures of Jason Kidd, Kyrie Irving, and Daniel Gafford, it's been a drama-filled offseason to say the least for the Dallas Mavericks. Since questions regarding how the Mavs will solve their frontcourt logjam filled the offseason, the Mavs have signed Gafford to a contract extension and are looking to extend P.J. Washington, leading the Mavs to put up a monster big man lineup next to Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II.

Some of the crazier rumors this offseason had to do with whether or not the Mavs would take the leap of faith to chase LeBron James, as uncertainty has clouded his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was reported that the Mavs would only sign James if the Lakers had bought out James' contract. Now, one report shows that there were whispers during the NBA Summer League that James wanted to take that leap to Dallas to reunite with his former teammates, Irving and Davis, along with a coaching staff that is filled with plenty of familiar faces.

Rumors have been in the works as early as 2023 when Irving was just getting going in Dallas, after he was traded from the Brooklyn Nets and wanted to recruit James to Dallas that summer. Now, it seems like James himself has been flirting with the idea of reuniting with his former superstar teammates and coming to play for Nico Harrison's Mavericks.

LeBron James' Mavericks interest is real — but the timing isn't

John Hollinger of The Athletic paints a picture (subscription required) of where it might not have been James' first wish to stay in Los Angeles and instead team up with a young Cooper Flagg to go for his fifth championship.

"In particular, the whispers about him having eyes for Dallas — a place where he could have teamed up with former teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving and young phenom Cooper Flagg — before opting into his deal were hard to ignore," Hollinger reported.

Since James' last championship win in the 2020 bubble, the Lakers have played second fiddle to other teams who have had legitimate chances to win a title. It seems like Lakers fans are sighing in relief following the signings of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, but with James turning 41 this December, he knows time is precious. Even though he's defying father time, he's in the mood to find a team that's championship-ready to win right now.

The terms were simple.

The Mavs only wanted James if he was going to be bought out by the Lakers. The Mavs already have their team thanks to an 18-year-old Flagg set to lead the charge one day. Flagg could eventually become the face of the NBA with Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Anthony Edwards.

The rumors of James started from fan accounts on X, but now, with Hollinger's report, it proves that there was some serious interest from James and his camp to come to Dallas. Now, with James set to become a free agent next summer, Dallas could be in the perfect spot to pursue him on a team-friendly deal.

The Mavericks likely won't have much money to spend to begin with, but maybe he'll be willing to take a massive paycut if he doesn't win a title this season to ride off into the sunset in Dallas.

His wife, Savannah, has expressed that she is worried about James continuing to play basketball. As long as James remains healthy, it's possible he could stay in his peak shape and play until he's 45. The Mavs have their team for now, and we'll realistically have to wait until next season to see what James does and if he could form one of the wildest super teams of all time.