Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, cementing himself among the illustrious franchise’s all-time great players. However, according to former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban, he nearly landed the 18-time All-Star in 2007 before LA’s then-general manager, Mitch Kupchak, called off the deal.
After LA traded his co-star, Shaquille O’Neal, to the Miami Heat in 2004, Bryant became the undisputed face of the Purple and Gold. Despite the superstar shooting guard thriving, the Lakers were unable to build a title-caliber roster around him over the ensuing three seasons, which eventually took its toll on him.
In May 2007, Bryant reluctantly requested a trade during a 1050 ESPN Radio appearance, noting that LA’s “direction in terms of rebuilding” left him “no other alternative.” The public declaration opened the door for Cuban and the Mavericks’ front office to pursue the then-reigning back-to-back NBA scoring champion, potentially at a discount.
How Did Mark Cuban Nearly Trade for Kobe Bryant?
During an appearance on “The Big Podcast with Shaq” in October, Cuban, now a minority owner of the Mavericks, outlined how close he came to fulfilling Bryant’s 2007 trade request. The Big Podcast’s X handle recently reshared a clip of that conversation, rekindling the thrilling details.
“Do you realize how close we were to trading for Kobe in 2007? Oh my God, it was literally this close,” Cuban said. “I talked to [then-Lakers owner] Jerry Buss and worked something out with Jerry because Kobe had asked to leave. Jerry said, ‘OK, if you want to leave, we’ll take care of it.'”
The business mogul recounted being willing to part with any player on Dallas’ roster except for franchise cornerstone Dirk Nowitzki. Per Cuban, a trade proposal was agreed upon, but Kupchak got cold feet before it was finalized.
“I talked to him, and it was going to be Josh Howard and Jason Terry and picks, and no Dirk ’cause I said, ‘Anybody but Dirk,'” Cuban said. “I remember literally telling this dude, ‘Guess what? Kobe’s going to be a Mav.’ And I literally thought it was done. And then, Mitch Kupchak obviously stepped up and said, ‘We can’t do this.’ Talked Kobe out of it. The rest is history.”
Mark Cuban revealed Kobe Bryant almost became a Dallas Maverick in 2007 😳
(Ep. 33) pic.twitter.com/8I2FaYjG3M
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) August 12, 2025
A Bryant-Nowitzki pairing likely would have positioned the Mavericks as title contenders for years to come. The organization was coming off a 67-win season that ended in an infamous first-round 2007 playoff upset at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, and was seeking a change.
However, on the flip side, LA trading Bryant for complementary pieces and draft capital almost certainly would have set the franchise back even further. Instead, Kupchak held onto Bryant and brought in All-Star big man Pau Gasol in a 2008 trade deadline deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. The rest is history.
The pairing gave Bryant a dynamic frontcourt partner. That set the stage for Bryant to win his fourth and fifth championships in 2009 and 2010, further endearing himself to the Lakers faithful.
