This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/mavericks as Shocking proposed 3-team trade sends LeBron James from Lakers to Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are notorious trade partners after the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap in February. However, the two sides could combine on an even bigger deal this offseason.

In a recent trade idea from The Athletic’s Fred Katz, there would be plenty of intrigue between the Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers once again. His trade idea would involve moving LeBron James to the Mavericks in exchange for Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, and P.J. Washington.

The Los Angeles Lakers no longer orbit around LeBron James. That baton was passed as soon as L.A. finalized the trade that sent out James' handpicked sidekick, Anthony Davis, to acquire Luka Dončić, a 26-year-old megastar more than capable of piloting the Purple and Gold well past the LeBron era.

On Wednesday the NBA announced the group drawings for the 2025 in-season tournament known as the NBA Cup. The NBA teams are split into six groups of five teams, the Mavericks landing in the West B group along with the LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans and, of course, Luka Doncic and the LA Lakers.

NBA fans are skeptical of the fact that the Lakers and Mavericks coincidentally ended up in the same tournament group.