Only a few years after the end of a legendary run in Los Angeles, winning three titles alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant was stuck on a team that was marred in mediocrity, without the Hall of Fame big man and was just eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the 2007 NBA Playoffs.
In the aftermath of another early playoff exit, Bryant was demanding a trade from the Lakers.
Owner Dr. Jerry Buss reluctantly agreed to see what he could get for the Black Mamba. One of those offers happened to come from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Cuban discussed the moment he tried bringing Bryant to Dallas with Bleacher Report, telling Taylor Rooks that he was negotiating the deal with Buss until the deal fell through.
When giving his theory on why the trade never happened, Cuban believes that then Laker general manager Mitch Kupchak talked Bryant into staying on the team.
“I guess Mitch Kupchak talked Kobe into staying. … when a guy that’s key to your team wants to leave, you’re going to do everything you can to keep him.”
Luckily for the Lakers, the late Bryant had a no-trade clause in his contract, allowing him to deny any trade that he was involved in. That was likely the saving grace of the franchise.
Ultimately, things seemed to work out for both teams. L.A. acquired Pau Gasol which helped turn the team into a championship team and the Mavericks eventually won an NBA Championship in 2011 off the back of Dirk Nowitzski.
Both teams' success led to this potential trade being just a blimp in NBA history, leading to speculation about what the league would look like if the trade did go down.
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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