The Los Angeles Lakers have done one really weird thing since the public began speculating about a possible LeBron James trade. L.A. has yet to acknowledge publicly that James opted-in to his player option for 2025-26 to play the upcoming season for $52.6 million.

Read more: Mavericks' Interest in Acquiring LeBron James Receives Major Update During the 2024-25 NBA season with Los Angeles, James played in 70 games. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal per game, while shooting 51.3 percent overall and 37.6 percent from three-point range.

The Mavericks are running it back with head coach Jason Kidd despite persistent rumors that the New York Knicks were interested in hiring him. Those whispers have been put to rest after the Knicks brought on veteran coach Mike Brown to lead the franchise.