The Dallas Mavericks are forever remembered as Dirk Nowitzki’s team, but Mark Cuban just revealed how close history came to rewriting itself. In 2007, the Mavs were a phone call away from landing Kobe Bryant in a blockbuster trade that never happened.
Cuban’s Big Reveal
On The Big Podcast with Shaquille O’Neal, Cuban dropped the bombshell.
“Do you realize how close we were to trading for Kobe in 2007?” Cuban said. “I talked to Jerry Buss and worked something out with Jerry, because Kobe had asked to leave… it was going to be Josh Howard and Jason Terry and picks, and no Dirk, because I said anybody but Dirk.”
For context, Howard was fresh off his lone All-Star season, and Terry had just shot a career-best 43.8% from deep. Solid players, but nowhere near the level of a prime Kobe.
Kobe’s Peak, Lakers’ Frustration
The timing was perfect for a bold move. Kobe Bryant, then 28, was coming off one of the best seasons of his career. He led the league in scoring at 31.6 points per game, finished third in MVP voting, and locked up another All-Defensive First Team spot.
But despite Kobe’s brilliance, the Lakers stumbled to just 42 wins and bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. Frustrated, Bryant demanded a trade — opening the door for Cuban to make his pitch.
A Deal That Never Was
The framework was there: Howard, Terry, and draft picks for Bryant. Crucially, Dirk Nowitzki was untouchable. Cuban insisted Dallas could land Kobe without sacrificing its franchise cornerstone.
Imagine the possibilities: Kobe and Dirk side by side, two of the game’s most unstoppable scorers in the same frontcourt. For a franchise that had just lost the 2006 Finals to Miami, it could have been the ultimate redemption move.
Instead, cooler heads prevailed in Los Angeles. The Lakers smoothed things over with Bryant, and within two years, he was hoisting two more Larry O’Brien trophies in purple and gold.
One of the NBA’s Greatest “What Ifs”
Kobe would finish his career as a lifelong Laker, cementing his place as one of the franchise’s greatest icons. Dirk, meanwhile, delivered Dallas its lone championship in 2011.
But Cuban’s revelation underscores just how fragile history can be. If the trade had gone through, the NBA landscape of the late 2000s — and perhaps Dirk’s legacy — could have looked entirely different.
It’s a reminder that for every dynasty we celebrate, there are near-misses and backroom deals that could have changed everything. And few are bigger than the time Kobe Bryant nearly became a Dallas Maverick.
