LeBron James has been the subject of trade rumors since his agent raised questions about the four-time NBA champion’s future with the Los Angeles Lakers, and there is one Western Conference team that is viewed as a clear favorite to land him.
Bovada sportsbook released new odds on Tuesday for where LeBron might end up in the event that the Lakers trade him this summer. The Dallas Mavericks top the list at +125, followed by the Miami Heat at +500 and Cleveland Cavaliers at +550.
There is a wide gap between the Mavericks and any other team.
The Dallas Mavericks are the new favorites to land LeBron James, per @BovadaOfficial
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 15, 2025
Dallas Mavericks (+125)
Miami Heat (+500)
Cleveland Cavaliers (+550)
Golden State Warriors (+600)
New York Knicks (+800) pic.twitter.com/mWDSlpVsgV
James last month exercised his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season. His agent Rich Paul said at the time that LeBron wants to compete for championships and is still “evaluating how he wants to finish his career.” Those comments fueled a new wave of trade speculation.
There are a lot of reasons to believe LeBron would be open to playing in Dallas. He has won championships with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, and he also has a relationship with Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd. The addition of No. 1 overall pick Cooper Kupp should help as well.
James has not said a whole lot about his future this offseason. He recently had a seven-word response when asked about the trade speculation, and he seems like he is deliberately creating uncertainty. That is likely his way of putting pressure on the Lakers to continue to add to their roster, though it is unclear how much influence the 40-year-old still has within the organization.
