LeBron James is 40 years old, has logged over 65,000 career minutes, and still managed to make the All-NBA Second Team last season. That’s not normal. Most legends like Abdul-Jabbar are getting statues, not logging 24 points, 8 assists, and playing real defense. And yet, here we are- still watching LeBron sprint past defenders who were in kindergarten when he made his first Finals. It’s no wonder that whatever he does next, people aren’t just curious… they’re glued to it. Because with LeBron, even whispers turn seismic.
That’s why when a photo quietly popped up online showing LeBron standing next to Mav Carter and Miško Ražnatović, Europe’s top basketball agent, the internet didn’t just scroll past it. It zoomed in. Fans saw it for what it probably was- more than just a casual hang. Because if there’s anything we’ve learned from LeBron over the years, it’s that he doesn’t do random. From The Decision to his Los Angeles pivot, every move has purpose. So when the caption read “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026,” it didn’t feel cryptic. It felt like the first chess move.
And just like that, the floodgates cracked open. That post from @misko4raznatovic lit up the timeline! Because what it hinted at was LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, already looking past his final season with the Lakers. With his $52.6 million player option secured for 2025–26, he’s officially set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. And according to Marc Stein, there’s “some genuine curiosity” from LeBron about joining the Dallas Mavericks. You heard that right. Dallas. Luka, Kyrie, possibly AD… and now LeBron flirting with the idea? It doesn’t get more “big plans” than that.
The Mavericks aren’t just another team in the rumor mill, either. They’ve got history with LeBron James. Jason Kidd coached him to a ring in 2020. GM Nico Harrison used to be a Nike exec with long-standing ties to Bron. D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis, two of his Lakers allies, are now in Mavs jerseys. And even if a trade feels unlikely because of LeBron’s no-trade clause, the idea of a buyout, or a free-agency splash in 2026, isn’t far-fetched. Especially when his camp is already posing for photos with European agents known for landing monster deals. With over $528 million in career earnings and full Bird rights, Bron holds the cards. And maybe, just maybe, he’s ready to play them somewhere new.
This doesn’t feel like retirement-tour energy, it feels like setup-for-the-next-thing energy. That “big plans” caption? It’s not subtle. It signals meetings are happening, options are being considered, and LeBron is not coasting. He’s plotting. So while Lakers fans may be hoping for one last run, Dallas fans have reason to dream bigger. LeBron in blue and white? It may sound wild now, but two years is enough time for the right pieces to fall into place.
Is a LeBron–AD reunion back on the table?
That LeBron might join Dallas is juicy. That he might bring Anthony Davis with him? That’s blockbuster material. It’s early, yes, but after Davis’s move to the Mavericks this offseason in a stunner of a Luka Dončić trade, there’s real smoke around the idea of this old duo running it back. Davis is under contract through 2028, with a player option worth $62.8 million. But sign-and-trade gymnastics aren’t impossible. Especially not for a franchise already throwing its chips all-in.
From a chemistry perspective, it tracks. LeBron and AD won a title together in the bubble and had multiple deep playoff runs. Their pick-and-roll game was lethal when healthy. And with Kidd on the sideline and Kyrie now seemingly settled in Dallas, the idea of a James-AD-Kyrie trio isn’t just nostalgic.. It’s dangerous. It brings back the formula LeBron loves: two stars beside him, spreading the floor, letting him dissect defenses at will.
Still, the money matters. For any reunion to happen, Davis would have to be moved again or opt into a friendlier deal, which is tricky. But stranger things have happened in the NBA. What matters more is that people inside the league are beginning to say the quiet part out loud. LeBron is watching Dallas. Dallas has his people. AD is already there. The summer of 2026 might not just be about where LeBron goes. It could be about who he brings with him.
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