Kobe Bryant was talked out of his 2007 trade with Dallas Mavericks: Mark Cuban

Late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant spent his entire NBA career playing for the Lakers. He played with the Lakers for 20 years, winning them five NBA championships. While the five-time NBA champion was often linked with other franchisees during his career, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed that the Bryant was almost traded to the Mavericks in 2007. 

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Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reveals why the Kobe Bryant trade was cancelled

While Bryant's almost-trade with the Mavericks took place in 2007, Mark Cuban spoke about the situation in 2016 after Bryant retired from the NBA. In an ESPN interview, Mark Cuban revealed that he believed the deal with the Lakers legend was almost finalised after the 2006-07 season. Throughout his illustrious NBA career, Bryant had requested a trade multiple times. As per reports, he asked for a trade in 2007 after it was leaked that he was the reason behind Shaquille O'Neal's exit from the team at the end of the 2003-04 season. 

Cuban revealed that when Bryant asked for a trade, he was trying to push the Mavericks to victory after they lost the 2006 NBA Finals and had won 67 games in 2007 only to lose during the first round. Cuban revealed that he had offered the Lakers Josh Howard, Jason Terry, draft picks and had also agreed to a salary dump. “I could have sworn that we had a deal done,” Cuban told ESPN in 2016.

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However, Cuban did not reveal the exact reason why Bryant decided to remain with the Lakers. He added that he assumed Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak or Jerry Buss ended up talking Bryant out of the trade. During an interview with Grantland Basketball Hour, Bryant had revealed that the Chicago Bulls were the team he had preferred in 2007. He had even refused a trade to Detroit Pistons as it was not on the list of teams he was 'comfortable' with. Though Cuban mentioned the trade being a 'done deal', Bryant never mentioned the Mavericks.

While Cuban could not predict what could have happened, he agreed that having Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant on one team would have affected the Mavericks' seasons. “It would have been different,” Cuban said. “That’s all I can say. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.” The Mavericks failed to make it to the first round for the next two out of three years before finally bagging the NBA championship in 2011. 

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Bryant went on to win two more titles for the Lakers (2009, 2010) before retiring in 2016. He won two NBA Finals MVP awards and was crowned league MVP in 2008. Bryant is currently ranked fourth on the NBA all-time scoring list with 33,643 points. Following his death, the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks retired his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys as a tribute. On January 26, Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others passed away in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. 

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(Image source: AP)