Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has confirmed that his franchise came within inches of acquiring Kobe Bryant in a blockbuster trade during the summer of 2007.
Speaking on The Big Podcast with Shaq, Cuban detailed the behind-the-scenes negotiations that nearly brought the Lakers legend to Dallas. At the time, Bryant had publicly expressed frustration with the direction of the Los Angeles Lakers and requested a trade. Cuban seized the opportunity and initiated talks with Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
“I was literally this close,” Cuban said. “I talked to 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.’ And so 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.’”
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
Cuban was so confident the deal was done that he began telling people Kobe would soon be wearing a Mavericks jersey. But the trade was ultimately blocked by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who personally intervened and persuaded Bryant to stay in Los Angeles.
“I remember telling this dude, ‘Guess what? Kobe’s going to be a Mav.’ And I literally thought it was done. And then, Mitch Kupchak stepped up and said, ‘We can’t do this.’ Talked Kobe out of it. The rest is history,” Cuban recalled.
Had the trade gone through, Bryant would have joined forces with Dirk Nowitzki, creating one of the best duos in NBA history. Instead, both players remained with their respective franchises and went on to win championships, Bryant in 2009 and 2010, and Nowitzki in 2011, ironically sweeping Bryant’s Lakers en route to the title.
