Mark Cuban Is Open To A Dirk for LeBron Deal?

[The Regime]

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has gone public with his quest to acquire LeBron James.

 

News, notes and analysis of the Mavericks from ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan, Tim MacMahon and the rest of our team. Blog.

 

In an interview this week posted on CNNMoney.com, Cuban expressed his interest in James as a free agent and said that the NBA star needs to play in a place where he trusts the organization.

 

If James does not reach an agreement with the Cavaliers by July 1, he would become an unrestricted free agent.

 

"Come July 1st, yeah, of course, anybody would be interested in LeBron James, and if he leaves via free agency, then it's going to be tough," Cuban said. "If he does like I'm guessing, hoping he will, which is say, 'I'm not going to leave the Cavs high and dry,' if he decides to leave -- there's still a better chance he stays -- then he'll try to force a sign-and-trade, and that gives us a chance."

 

Cuban's comments could fall under the NBA's tampering rules. In 2008, the league sent a memo to the 30 NBA teams detailing specific guidelines when discussing potential free agents with the media.

 

The memo read: "If a member of your organization is asked by the media about a potential free agent prior to the July 1 following the last season covered by the player's contract, or about any other person under contract with another NBA team, the only proper response is to decline comment."

 

Penalties outlined in the memo could include suspension, prohibition of the offending team from hiring the person being tampered with, forfeiture of draft picks and individual and/or team fines of up to $5 million.

 

Asked if he believes James will stay in Cleveland or sign with New York or elsewhere, Cuban said:

 

"I don't know, don't know. What I do know about LeBron in the minimal time I've spent talking to him is he just wants to win. Money's not his issue. He needs to be some place where he trusts the organization. And look, [owner] Dan Gilbert in Cleveland did everything he possibly could, that's just the way the game works. If there was a template that we all could follow, we'd all have championship rings."

 

Dallas' interest in pursuing a sign-and-trade deal for James has been the subject of speculation for months, but Cuban's comments are believed to be his first public acknowledgment of that plan.

 

Voice mail and e-mail messages to the league office for clarification have not been immediately returned. Cuban did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=5205952&campaign=rss&source=twitter&ex_cid=Twitter_espn_5205952

Edited May 21, 2010 by Confidence

[xx.]

He made his mistake when he said no to Kobe for Dirk.

[ballorama]

He made his mistake when he said no to Kobe for Dirk.

 

When was that?