Agent for LeBron James: Lakers star ‘Won’t Be Traded,’ But Should Mavericks Still Try?

The Dallas Mavericks might still try to work out a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, even though LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul, stated he won’t ask for a trade.

As the trade deadline of February 8 draws near, irrational and reasonable rumors are circulating. LeBron James reportedly asking to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the trade deadline stories making headlines.

While the Lakers are currently 25-25 and ninth in the Western Conference, they have been having trouble. Rich Paul, James’ agent, made an effort to dispel rumors that his client was asking for a trade.

When David Pingalore of KTLA 5 Sports in Southern California reported that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is “looking for the right team to dance with,” and that moving the 39-year-old forward is atop their list, there were rumors of a possible trade request from James. Pingalore has a history of correctly projecting James’ future moves. In the past, he has been right when he has said that James wanted to return to Cleveland during his time with the Miami Heat and that he was considering a 2019 contract with the Lakers before ultimately signing with them via free agency.

If there was ever a time to trade for the all-time great, it would be now, as Los Angeles is mediocre at best after winning the In-Season Tournament in December and James could become a free agent this offseason. The Dallas Mavericks need to be one of the teams blowing up their phones in an attempt to strike a deal if the Lakers decide to blow things up.

The window of opportunity for James to win a fifth championship is closing, and the Mavericks are still struggling to overcome Luka Doncic. Doncic is averaging 34.7 points, 9.6 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game, which is MVP-caliber play. Should Dallas again miss the NBA Finals, it would be the second year in a row that Doncic’s prime was wasted.

The Kyrie Irving factor is another. James last won a championship in 2016 while playing for the Cavaliers with Irving. Despite the messy nature of their 2017 breakup, the two seem to be getting along well now. Last summer, Irving made an additional attempt to enlist James.

Even though it seems unlikely that James would be traded, Dallas should still get in touch with the Lakers. The Mavs should go above and beyond to acquire James and put themselves in the driver’s seat to win a championship, provided there is even a remote chance that he can be acquired before the trade deadline.