LeBron James stirred up plenty of offseason drama before ultimately staying with the Los Angeles Lakers.
There was a moment when Bron seriously eyed a move to Dallas, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.
“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.
“Obviously, James wasn’t willing to leave $52 million on the table to take a nontaxpayer MLE or something similar from the Mavericks or another team. A buyout seems similarly unlikely. Additionally, the tax aprons on both sides will make any in-season transaction with a contender-class team challenging.”
The 40-year-old opted into his $52 million player option earlier this summer. His agent, Rich Paul, didn’t help silence speculation after releasing a statement that sounded suspiciously like a farewell to Los Angeles.
James and his camp had reportedly planned to monitor the Lakers’ offseason to see if their moves aligned with his win-now mindset.
The Mavericks, who feature multiple former teammates and coaches from James’ career, were seen as a potential landing spot if a buyout ever became an option. But with little cap space across the league this summer, any deal was always going to be complicated.
“There wasn’t a lot of money available this offseason, which would’ve made it difficult for any team to try and make a move for him. However, if he wants to keep playing after this season, teams should have a lot more spending room next offseason,” Hollinger noted.
For now, James remains locked in with the Lakers, but his future beyond this season is wide open.
READ MORE: Michael Beasley Reveals He Slept in His Car for Two Years