The summer of 2007 was a scary and demoralizing time for the Los Angeles Lakers.
They were so immersed in mediocrity that there seemed to be no way out. After his second straight loss to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs, Kobe Bryant was ejected.
He infamously asked for a trade, had only two years left to opt out of his contract and became a free agent, and millions of people have come to know the Lakers over the years, so the end of the Lakers season. looked like the beginning of
After owner Dr. Jerry Buss reluctantly agreed to see what the Black Mamba could do, several offers reportedly started coming in, one from Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks. It was from
In an interview with Bleacher Report, Cuban discussed the process of trying to make a deal with Bryant.
Mavs trade collapsed
The chatty Mavs owner says he negotiated the terms of the deal with Bass but it didn’t materialize. Interestingly, Cuban seems to think someone completely unrelated to basketball could have played a role.
“I thought (the trade was) over. I was on Dancing with the Stars and I needed it, so I practiced like seven or eight hours a day. I’m Dr. Buss. …he said, I remember it vividly because there was a PA[production assistant]named Elvis…and he was always Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. I started talking to him [Elvis] About that, and it was the kiss of death, because the moment I told Elvis, everything fell apart. ”
But Cuban admitted there was a bigger reason Bryant didn’t become Maverick.
“I think Mitch Kupchak convinced Kobe to stay.
At the time, Bryant had a no-trade clause in his contract that allowed him to decline any deal he might be involved in. That may have been the Lakers’ greatest saving grace at the time.
Of course he stayed and the team acquired Pau Gasol in February. This was a miracle deal that the team and its fans had long wanted. It quickly led to three straight NBA Finals appearances and back-to-back World Championships.
As Cubans dream about what happened between Mamba and Dirk Nowitzki, Bryant’s trade request was just a footnote.
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