As Kobe Bryant prepares to close the curtain on his illustrious 20-season career with the Lakers, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed he thought he had struck a deal to acquire the Los Angeles star in 2007.
Cuban said a deal was agreed to after the then-28-year-old demanded a trade nine years ago.
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Bryant later confirmed the Bulls were his No. 1 choice, though he of course stayed put for the Lakers and went on to win two NBA titles in 2009 and '10. But it could have been so much different, had Cuban gotten his way.
"Like I've told you guys [reporters] many times before, in 2007 I would have sworn that we had a deal done [for Bryant] for Josh Howard and Jet [Jason Terry]," said Cuban, who at the time was a contestant on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." "I was telling all the stagehands at Dancing With the Stars that it was done.
"Mitch [Kupchak] or Jerry Buss or somebody talked [Kobe] out of it."
Cuban, whose Mavs ended up winning the 2011 championship, added: "It would have been different. That's all I can say. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. But like I said earlier, players don't win championships, organizations do. Right? That's what [former Bulls GM] Jerry Krause says."
Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki — the 13-time All-Star and 2007 MVP — was also keen to see Bryant in Dallas.
"I do remember Dirk coming to me and saying, 'If you can trade me for Kobe, you've gotta do it'," Cuban said. "I was like, 'Aw, Dirty, that's not going to happen'."