What can the Dallas Mavericks actually use to acquire LeBron James from the Los Angeles Lakers?
Kyrie Irving, who famously demanded a trade away from LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, has since seen the error of his ways. Now the controversial free agent is looking to reunite with his former co-champion, but not on the team fans might expect.
All season, we’ve heard the constant hum of Kyrie-Lakers speculation. It made sense — the Lakers are showtime, everyone talks about them, and there’s no way Kyrie would just re-sign in Dallas right? Well, apparently Kyrie is expected to stay in Dallas, and he wants to bring LeBron with him.
Oh, how the tables turn. Once LeBron was famous for his recruiting skills. Now he’s the one being lured to other teams. Dallas will have a difficult time making the Lakers listen to any trade offer, but here are the five most prominent assets the team has at its disposal if James demands a move to Central Texas.
Best trade assets Mavericks could use to trade for LeBron James
5. Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Mavericks would need to involve several salary fillers to make a James trade work financially. The best of them would be Tim Hardaway Jr., who’s set to make $17.8 million in the penultimate year of his contract.
Hardaway isn’t the best defender nor does he operate with the consistency of youth, but the 31-year-old can still put the ball in the net. He shot 38.5 percent on 7.7 attempts per game from 3-point range last season and he was one of the few Dallas players who didn’t look completely lost after the Kyrie trade.
The Lakers still need shooters around Anthony Davis in this extremely unlikely theoretical scenario. Hardaway fits the bill.
4. Jaden Hardy
Jaden Hardy was the No. 37 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and the Mavs evidently struck gold. Hardy’s shot-making was a big part of the second unit late in the season and he emerged as a real asset for a team with very few “real assets.”
Averaging 8.8 points in 14.8 minutes per game, Hardy showcased the ability to fill up the stat sheet quickly. He shot 40.4 percent on 3s and even looked competitive on the defensive end. He’s a good athlete with plenty of room to grow. The Lakers would require him in any trade.
3. Josh Green
Josh Green might’ve been the Mavs’ most competent rotation player outside of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving after the trade deadline. The springboard athlete from Arizona is still young (22 years old), but Green is already a heady defender who can make plays all over the floor. He’s only listed at 6-foot-5, but his plus-6 wingspan, sturdy 200-pound frame, and elite explosiveness allow him to cover a wide range of matchups and to really wreak havoc as a roamer off the ball.
There were concerns about Green’s offensive utility coming out of college, but he’s already a reliable spot-up shooter (40.2 percent on 3s) and an extremely efficient play-finisher at the rim (72.3 percent within five feet of the basket). He’s the ideal 3-and-D wing. The Lakers would require him as well.
2. 2027 first-round pick
The Mavs can only involve two first-round picks in any trade. The inherent unknowability of the future makes their 2027 first-round pick interesting and potentially valuable, even with Luka Doncic at the very beginning of his prime. There’s a lot that can go wrong in four years, and there’s no guarantee Doncic would last on the Mavs’ roster that long.
1. No. 10 pick, 2023 NBA Draft
There’s a bit more guaranteed value with the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft. The Mavs can’t involve any other future picks because of the Stepien Rule, which disallows them from trading first-round picks in consecutive years. Dallas does not own its 2024 pick and their 2029 pick was shipped to Brooklyn as part of the Irving deal.
There should be plenty of quality options for LA with the No. 10 pick. If they’re looking for another playmaker to fill the LeBron-sized void in the backcourt, names like Cason Wallace, Nick Smith, Anthony Black, and Kobe Bufkin will be heavily speculated about. Want a shooting wing to complement Austin Reaves and AD? Look no further than Grady Dick or Jordan Hawkins.
The Lakers can absolutely get more for James on the open market, but if he requests a trade specifically to Dallas, maybe there’s no other option? This almost definitely will not happen, but never say never in the NBA.