“James' status with the Lakers is the most closely monitored situation in the NBA. Even though he opted into his $52.6 million salary for next season, the decision came with a statement from his agent, Rich Paul, to ESPN's Shams Charania about evaluating what's best for the four-time NBA MVP,” Wells said on Thursday.

Like sharks sensing a presence in the water, Rich Paul's cryptic statement that accompanied LeBron James' decision to opt in to his $52.6 million salary for next season led some teams to call the Los Angeles Lakers about the four-time NBA MVP's availability.

The Dallas Mavericks were instantly brought up as a team who could be interested in LeBron James, given that they have two of his greatest co-stars of all time in Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. Jason Kidd was also an assistant on the Lakers team that won a championship in 2020, so there would be a lot of familiarity.