It was no secret that the Dallas Mavericks had lately been interested in acquiring free agent center JaVale McGee, especially after their DeAndre Jordan catastrophe during the summer. The news is that the Los Angeles Lakers are planning to give them some tough competition for the seven-foot veteran's services if they stall their acquisition.

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The Mavs have already signed experienced slot men Zaza Pachulia and Samuel Dalembert, but it seems like Mark Cuban is still not satisfied in showing Jordan, and the rest of the world, that Dallas is a haven for centers.

Fox Sports reported that while Cuban is targeting McGee to add to his platoon of big men, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is also showing interest to the former Nevada standout.

Last month, Kupchak said in an interview that the Lakers are still in need of depth at the center and point guard positions even after adding Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, and Lou Williams into their lineup.

Los Angeles had also recently agreed to sign seven-foot undrafted center Robert Upshaw and another undrafted player, stretch four Jonathan Holmes, to improve their frontline, but Kupchak is still keen on having a veteran center to guide his plethora of young guns.

Which led to the best big man still available in the closing free agency period, McGee. He would be the 17th player in the Lakers' roster if the team could sign him up over Dallas, as per Lakers Nation.

However, Sports World Report noted that signing McGee "is a risk" because of his recent history of injuries.

At 27 years old, the Michigan native is still young by NBA standards, but his careless and absent-minded plays make him vulnerable to unnecessary accidents. If he could calm down and tame himself on the court during games, then he may be able to remain on it a lot longer than he had been staying.

McGee had never completed an 82-game regular season in his entire seven-year career because of injuries and the Lakers or Mavericks are hoping he can stay healthy if ever they sign him.

Recent rumors have also included the New York Knicks as possible competition for the McGee sweepstakes, but there is still no confirmation coming from the Big Apple regarding that.

TagsNBA 2015, NBA news, NBA News 2015, NBA rumors, NBA Rumors 2015, JaVale McGee, Los Angeles Lakers