Mark Cuban Comments on Near Kobe Bryant Trade in 2007
As the NBA prepares to say a final farewell to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on Wednesday night, there was apparently a time when the future Hall of Famer could have been wearing a Dallas Mavericks jersey.
Per Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said that in 2007 he "would have sworn we had a deal done for Josh Howard and Jet (Jason Terry)."
Cuban commented on his enthusiasm for the potential deal that would have brought Bryant to Dallas, per Price:
"I do remember Dirk coming to me and saying, 'Look, if you can trade me for Kobe, you've gotta do it,'" Cuban said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. "I was like, 'Dirty, that's not gonna happen.'"
It seems 2007 was a popular year for trade rumors involving Bryant, though that's hardly a surprise. He was at such a disconnect with the franchise that he was doing interviews saying he wanted L.A. to trade him.
Here are comments Bryant made in May 2007 during an appearance on ESPN Radio 1050 in New York (via ESPN.com): "I would like to be traded, yeah. Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"
The same article pointed out that Bryant, during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, backed off his stance by saying he was hopeful something "can be figured out" with the Lakers.
Six months later, per Chris Sheridan for ESPN.com, the Chicago Bulls were reportedly close to acquiring Bryant except he objected to Chicago sending Luol Deng to Los Angeles in a potential deal.
In February, ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reported during the 2007 impasse that the Lakers contacted the Cleveland Cavaliers to gauge their interest in trading LeBron James for Bryant. Windhorst noted it was the only time a team ever called to ask about James, but he "was considered the ultimate untouchable."
Things ultimately worked out between Bryant and the Lakers. He played out the next two years of his previous deal in Los Angeles, leading the team to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2008 to 2010 with back-to-back wins in 2009 and 2010.
It's hard to imagine—after a 20-year marriage that produced five championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards, an MVP award and a legacy few in the sport will ever be able to match—that Bryant was ever going to play anywhere else.
Even though the Lakers may have flirted with other teams about trading Bryant, it's safe to say they made the right decision to keep the Black Mamba.
