The Mavericks made up their minds and would never touch this red line when they traded LeBron James

The Dallas Mavericks seem to have made up their minds to never touch a certain red line when trading Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

If LeBron is traded, the Mavericks are one of the next players - although the last big deal between the Lakers and the Mavericks (for Luca Doncic in February to Anthony Davis and Max Christie) is very controversial.

Unlike that deal, LeBron holds the veto power of the deal, and any potential transaction must pass by him. For him, the Mavericks are really attractive: they are teammates Davis and Kyrie Irving from the championship, as well as Drake Lefley II, Klay Thompson, and No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.

But it is reported that Dallas has drawn a clear bottom line and will never cross the line. Dan Walker and Joe Walden of The Athletic revealed: "According to Mavericks insiders, the team is unwilling to break up the core members of the existing lineup to match LeBron's salary." Although this idea is reasonable, it also has a bit of "not that wanting". Next season is LeBron's 23rd NBA season, with an annual salary of $52.6 million - a figure that is enough to discourage most interested teams, even if he is a 40-year-old legend.

Theoretically, the transaction is feasible, but the Mavericks are limited by the "second rich line". If they want to maintain the depth of the lineup, there is very little room for operation. The only solution that doesn't need to touch multiple players is perhaps to exchange Davis alone (his annual salary of $54.1 million is the highest in the team) - but if this deal comes true, the absurdity will be far more than "Doncic for Davis" five months ago.

Another variable is LeBron himself. As one of the few players in the league with the power to veto the trade, he can completely veto any deal, especially when he wants to "make trouble" for the Lakers or potential next player.

Since the Mavericks are unwilling to send away multiple core members for LeBron, they may withdraw from the "LeBron battle" (if this battle really exists). Although LeBron and his agent Ritchie Paul have made a lot of noise this summer, he is likely to stay with the Lakers and start his eighth Purple Gold season.