Is LeBron James playing tonight against the Dallas Mavericks? | January 12th, 2023 | 2022-23 NBA Season

LeBron James and company are scheduled to play the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday in their second meeting of the season.

LeBron James has been cleared to play against the Mavericks. However, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and Lonnie Walker IV are listed as out, and Patrick Beverley is listed as questionable. The Lakers are, therefore, likely to be severely shorthanded at home tonight.

The Lakers have racked up a 6-2 record in their last eight outings after an up-and-down start to the season. They are expected to be without Davis for a couple more weeks, although reports have indicated that the eight-time All-Star has ramped up preparations ahead of his return to the court.

The toughness of the Lakers' schedule for the rest of January, when they are likely to be without Davis, is 0.535 (0.535 is the average win percentage of the teams they will face).

LeBron James' recent comments in an ESPN interview about his team's predicament have certainly given the Lakers front office an incentive to make the team better by the trade deadline.

James' two-year extension clearly doesn't seem to be a guarantee that he will stay in LA, especially if he cannot contend for the title. Even at the age of 38, LeBron James' market value will be high should he express his desire to get traded.

James' two-year, $97 million extension will see him through to the 2024-25 NBA season.

Who can be the LA Lakers' targets to build around LeBron James and Anthony Davis?

Shooters and wing defenders could solve several of the Lakers' problems, and reports have indicated that they might just be vying for those. With Anthony Davis' injuries lingering, a formidable big man might also be on their target list.

DeMarcus Cousins is one of the players that the Lakers have in their sights, and he is reportedly scheduled for a workout this week. Besides Cousins, Bojan Bogdanovic is another promising candidate for a trade. The team has already reached out to the Pistons regarding a Bogdanovic trade, but no progress has been reported.

The ideal situation for the Lakers would be to revisit the Indiana Pacers trade that they were interested in earlier in the season.

The Lakers could, in theory, trade Russell Westbrook for Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and a salary filler. But with the Pacers currently logging a record good enough to make the playoffs, the likelihood of that trade going through seems slim.