Nico Harrison was ridiculed by the NBA fanbase for trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. But what if it was step one of bringing LeBron James to Dallas?
The Los Angeles Lakers landed Luka Doncic in one of the most surprising trades in NBA history. The Dallas Mavericks were panned for letting go of a generational superstar.
Doncic’s brief stint with the Lakers has shown signs of promise. Even though the Lakers got eliminated, which is due to a number of factors outside of Doncic’s control.
Luka Doncic has some decisions to make about his future with the Lakers. However, Stephen A. Smith believes LeBron James’ decisions might impact his choices.
LeBron recently claimed he isn’t responsible for Luka staying. Is that because he is planning a sensational move of his own, one orchestrated by the very man who gave him Doncic on a silver platter?
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
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Could Nico Harrison bring LeBron James to Dallas?
At 40 years old, LeBron James‘ future with the Lakers is up in the air. The Lakers are expected to retain James by signing a new deal. But according to The Athletic, insiders from James’ camp don’t rule out a move to another team.
They mention James’ mention of Anthony Davis, and his friendly interactions with Kyrie Irving at Game 5, as a sly message to the Lakers front office. And Nico Harrison is expected to pursue a third superstar this summer, which opens the door for James to go to the Mavericks.
“So, might James think about finishing his career elsewhere in pursuit of a fifth ring? When posed that question, both league sources close to James and team sources would not rule that possibility out. And that was before the revealing elimination game.”
“The unsolicited mention of Davis in his postgame news conference was a reminder that the two were very close before their unexpected breakup.”
“The same is true about James and Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, whose courtside presence at Game 5 — and his interactions with James during play — garnered notice on the TNT telecast.”
“As The Athletic reported in February, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is expected to pursue another star this summer — be it someone like James or the Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant.”
Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty ImagesJames moving to Mavericks would be shocking
LeBron James has given no indication that he wants to leave the Lakers. However, with LeBron, it is always important to read between the lines.
James is incredibly calculated and never says or does anything without a purpose. So his comments and interactions with Davis and Irving, two Mavericks stars, are no coincidence.
However, James has presumably had extensive conversations with Doncic about Nico Harrison. Will LeBron and his camp be willing to trust the Mavericks GM?
Furthermore, everything we’ve heard about the passive-aggressive approach of Nico sounds like James would be unhappy under his auspices.
But James is desperate to win another NBA championship. And perhaps doing so with two teammates he’s won titles with will appeal to him.