Mavericks expected to have Lakers' LeBron James competition from Warriors, per NBA writer

Jon Conahan

Mavericks expected to have Lakers' LeBron James competition from Warriors, per NBA writer image

It doesn't seem likely that the Los Angeles Lakers would ever move on from LeBron James, but after Rich Paul's comments, it's possible that anything could happen over the next few weeks to months. 

If he moves on from the Lakers, some have suggested that the Dallas Mavericks would be the best fit. On the other hand, some believe that the Mavericks wouldn't be interested in trading for James, but would be interested if he were bought out. 

It remains uncertain where things stand on that front, but until he's available, it's a moot point. 

If and when he becomes available, there will be many teams looking to trade or sign one of the greatest players, if not the greatest, to ever lace them up. 

According to Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz, one of the teams the Mavericks might have competition with, as he ranked them in James' top landing spots, could be the Golden State Warriors. 

“Pairing Curry and James together would be a treat for NBA fans and allow the latter to stay in California, just a short flight from his Los Angeles home.

“There's a few different iterations of a trade between these franchises, as a straight Jimmy Butler-James swap would work financially. Golden State could throw in one of its young centers (Trayce Jackson-Davis, Quinten Post) to help fill the void on the Lakers roster as well. The Warriors would be left with an aging yet still strong core of James, Curry, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody and others to chase one final championship together,” he wrote.

MORE: Mavericks trade proposal sends Klay Thompson and more to Lakers for LeBron James

If James gets traded, he'll likely have an option to pick where he wants to go. 

If he wants to play with Stephen Curry and the Warriors, that wouldn't be ideal for the Mavericks.

Jon Conahan

Jon Conahan is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. A 2022 Penn State University graduate who majored in journalism, he was also a member of the school's D1 baseball team. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Heavy and other outlets. Jon makes home in North Jersey, but also resides in Cape Coral, Florida, for parts of the year. He’s an avid fan of the New York Yankees, Miami Dolphins and Milwaukee Bucks.