As LeBron James weighs a departure from Los Angeles, a potential reunion with Kyrie Irving and the chance to mentor Cooper Flagg make Dallas a formidable suitor.
Ahead of Year 2 of the Cooper Flagg era, the Dallas Mavericks have made multiple sweeping changes — and those moves may have positioned them as a legitimate destination for the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
LeBron James is set to choose his next home for the fourth time in his career after informing the Los Angeles Lakers that he won't be returning.
James' decision will reportedly be predicated on happiness and a desire to compete for another championship rather than money, and Rich Paul's latest comments indicate Dallas could satisfy both.
On Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, James' longtime agent and close friend didn't rule out the possibility of the 41-year-old remaining in the Western Conference.
Paul revealed a whiteboard consisting of all the potential squads that James would fit with, which featured the Mavs, along with the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics.
"In Dallas, you got oil, you got golf ... a lot comes with Dallas and (team president Ujiri) Masai," Paul said.
But those aren't the only reasons the Mavericks could appeal to James.
The presence of Flagg certainly plays a factor, but the opportunity to reunite with Kyrie Irving could be an even bigger draw.
James and Irving famously won the 2016 NBA Finals together, overcoming a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors to deliver Cleveland its first NBA championship. Although Irving left for the Boston Celtics just one year later, James has never hidden how much he misses sharing the floor with his former teammate.
“Sitting here watching it, I’m so (expletive) happy and so proud to watch him continue his growth,” James told his eventual Lakers head coach, JJ Redick, on an episode of the Mind the Game podcast in 2024. “And at the same time, I’m so (expletive) mad that I’m not his running mate anymore. I just remember those times.”
And despite some rumblings that the Mavs could look to move off of Irving, new head coach Dusty May apparently shut down any chance of his departure.
“How to earn (Irving's) trust?” May said. “Be yourself and work like crazy for him every single day. Kyrie knows what it takes to win a championship. As a first-time NBA coach, I’m going to lean on him in a lot of areas.”
Should James ultimately land in Dallas, the two would become teammates once again, nearly 10 years after their split.
The Mavs still have the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception (MLE) at their disposal ... which could be handed to James.
Whether that's enough to convince him remains to be seen.
But between the chance to reunite with Irving, play alongside one of the league's brightest young stars in Flagg and compete under Ujiri's revamped front office, Dallas has assembled a compelling pitch.
While Rich Paul's comments don't guarantee James will end up in a Mavericks uniform, they do suggest the idea is far more realistic than it may have originally appeared.
