NBA Trade Idea: Mavericks Acquire LeBron James And Bronny James From Lakers In Three-Team Deal

July 27, 2025

NBA, Lakers, Mavericks, LeBron James, Bronny James — Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

An NBA trade idea where the Dallas Mavericks acquire LeBron James and Bronny James from the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal has been created.

NBA writer Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report created the following trade idea between the Mavericks, Lakers and Brooklyn Nets:

Mavericks get: LeBron James, Bronny James, Drew Timme, Tyrese Martin

Lakers get: Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin, Jaden Hardy, 2030 second-round pick, 2031 second-round pick

Nets get: Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Dwight Powell

LeBron played with Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Mavericks big man Anthony Davis on the Lakers.

Dallas head coach Jason Kidd and assistant coach Phil Handy also have ties to LeBron, as both men were on the Lakers when the franchise won the 2020 championship against the Miami Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble.

For this NBA trade idea to happen, LeBron must request a trade from the Lakers and tell the purple and gold to send him to the Mavericks. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP has a no-trade clause in his contract.

LeBron is the oldest active player in the NBA. He turns 41 in December. The basketball legend will make $52.6 million next season in the final year of his contract.

Hall of Fame NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line wrote on Saturday that he believes LeBron has “some genuine curiosity” about playing for the Mavericks.

“I believe that James does have some genuine curiosity about playing in Dallas,” Stein wrote. “Bear in mind that he is extremely settled off the floor in Los Angeles. It has been his family’s primary home base for the past seven years and he is building a new home in Beverly Hills. To play elsewhere at this stage of his life and career could well require a landing spot that can provide a special level of comfort to take him away from all that.”

LeBron remains an elite force despite being the oldest active player in the NBA. He made the All-NBA Second Team and finished sixth in MVP voting last season.