Dallas Mavericks trade rumors: NBA insiders believe franchise could pursue LeBron James this summer

LeBron James might end his final seasons in Dallas as a Maverick. Or at least that's what the league's insiders believe following the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers. Per The Athletic's Sam Amick, Anthony Slater and David Aldridge, the four-time NBA champion might reunite with former LA teammate Anthony Davis in the summer.

In their latest, the trio believed that the Mavericks are looking to be immediate contenders and would target James if he were to decline his player option for the next season. The Mavs' interest in James has been well documented, with Kyrie Irving also revealing how he tried to recruit his former Cleveland Cavaliers' champion teammate a season ago.

"Whether it’s Durant (now or later), or perhaps even the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James in the summer if he were to decline his player option for next season, the 52-year-old Harrison appears to be targeting big-time stars with whom he’s very familiar from his past life as a top Nike executive."

Reports suggest that James will remain a Laker, playing out his season with a newly acquired young superstar in Doncic. With a day left before the trade deadline, stranger things have happened in the NBA, and even a potential LeBron James move to a different outfit cannot be ruled out.

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Kyrie Irving had reportedly tried to recruit LeBron James to the Mavericks

Earlier last season, reports emerged that Kyrie Irving had reportedly tried to recruit James to the Mavericks. In one of his tweets, then The Athletic's Shams Charania (now an insider with ESPN) wrote:

"Kyrie Irving has reached out to Lakers star LeBron James in attempts to see if James would come to Dallas."

The idea was to form a 'Big 3' in Dallas alongside Irving and Luka Doncic, but now the latest does change the dynamics in the West. The mercurial guard has a dominant center in Anthony Davis that bolsters the Mavs defense. As for James and the Dallas trade buzz, there's no telling what holds in store in the offseason.