In a recent mock trade put out by Bleacher Report, the Dallas Mavericks part with multiple depth pieces to acquire 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.

June 29: The first notable news was James' decision to exercise his player option for the upcoming season, something he had not done before in his career. Accompanying James' decision was a somewhat ominous statement from his agent, Rich Paul, who spoke on his client's immediate future.