Kobe Bryant’s Near 2007 Dallas Mavericks Trade Could Have Altered NBA History and Changed the Course of Multiple Franchise Legacies Forever
In the summer of 2007, the NBA world was engulfed in one of the most dramatic and captivating storylines of the decade. Kobe Bryant, arguably the league’s best player at the time and the face of the Los Angeles Lakers, was reportedly on the verge of being traded. The destination? The Dallas Mavericks, a team fresh off an NBA Finals appearance in 2006 and a 67-win season in 2007. The blockbuster deal in discussion would have sent Dallas standouts Josh Howard and Jason Terry to Los Angeles in exchange for Bryant, instantly creating a superteam in the Western Conference and potentially altering the course of basketball history.
The mere possibility of this trade sent shockwaves through the league. Bryant, who had spent his entire career in purple and gold, was in the middle of a well-publicized feud with Lakers management. His frustration stemmed from what he felt was a lack of urgency in building a championship-contending roster after the departure of Shaquille O’Neal in 2004. In Kobe’s eyes, the Lakers were wasting his prime years, and he made it clear—both privately and publicly—that changes needed to be made. When those changes didn’t come quickly enough, he began to consider the unthinkable: playing somewhere other than Los Angeles.
Dallas was an attractive landing spot for several reasons. The Mavericks, under head coach Avery Johnson, had a strong defensive identity and an MVP-caliber superstar in Dirk Nowitzki. Coming off a season where they dominated the regular season but were stunned by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, the Mavericks were desperate for a player who could help them take the next step in the postseason. Kobe Bryant, with his scoring prowess, unmatched work ethic, and championship pedigree, seemed like the perfect fit.
The proposed trade centered around sending Josh Howard, an All-Star small forward with two-way capabilities, and Jason Terry, a dynamic scoring guard and clutch performer, to the Lakers. In addition to those two pieces, there were discussions about draft picks and possibly other role players being included to make the salaries match and sweeten the deal. While Howard and Terry were beloved in Dallas, the idea of pairing Kobe with Dirk was too enticing for owner Mark Cuban to ignore. The thought of those two sharing the floor—a versatile seven-footer with a lethal jump shot alongside the most relentless scorer of his era—would have sent chills down the spines of every Western Conference contender.
From the Lakers’ perspective, Howard and Terry represented proven talent who could keep the team competitive while they retooled. Howard was just 27 at the time, averaging nearly 19 points per game, and Terry was a veteran leader with championship aspirations. But for Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, the decision was anything but simple. Trading Bryant meant parting with the cornerstone of the franchise, a player who had delivered three championships, countless highlight-reel moments, and an unmatched competitive fire. Kupchak had to weigh the immediate return against the long-term cost of losing a generational superstar.
The talks reportedly reached serious stages. In fact, some insiders at the time claimed that Bryant had already envisioned himself in a Mavericks uniform and was mentally preparing for the transition. Yet, despite how close it seemed, the deal ultimately fell apart. There were conflicting reports about why—some suggested that Kobe himself vetoed the move because he didn’t believe Dallas had enough left on the roster after the trade to contend for a title. Others claimed that the Lakers’ front office simply couldn’t bring themselves to finalize a deal that would see Bryant leave Los Angeles, fearing the backlash from fans and the long-term damage to the brand.
The what-if scenarios from this almost-trade are endless. If Kobe had joined the Mavericks in 2007, Dallas could have been an instant title favorite. A Bryant-Nowitzki pairing in the late 2000s might have rivaled or even surpassed the dominance of the Lakers-Celtics battles that eventually took place in 2008 and 2010. Kobe’s killer instinct combined with Dirk’s unguardable offensive skill set would have posed nightmare matchups for any opponent. Defensively, the Mavericks already had a strong system, and Kobe’s intensity on that end of the floor would have only amplified it.
On the flip side, the Lakers’ future could have looked vastly different. Without Bryant, they may not have attracted Pau Gasol in a trade the following season—a move that directly led to back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Instead, Los Angeles might have built around Howard, Terry, and the pieces acquired, perhaps remaining a playoff team but without the same championship ceiling. The legacy of the franchise in the late 2000s would have been rewritten entirely.
For Kobe, moving to Dallas would have been a seismic shift in his career narrative. While he was already recognized as one of the greatest players in NBA history, his legacy was deeply intertwined with the Lakers brand. A move to the Mavericks could have altered public perception, possibly putting him in the same category as other legends who played for multiple teams late in their careers. Whether that would have enhanced or diminished his standing is a debate for basketball historians.
Mark Cuban, never one to shy away from bold moves, would have gone down as the mastermind behind assembling one of the most dangerous duos in league history. The Mavericks might have avoided the playoff disappointments of the late 2000s and potentially secured multiple championships before their actual 2011 title run. It’s worth noting that when Dallas finally won it all in 2011, they did so by defeating Kobe’s Lakers in the playoffs—a moment that might never have happened had they been teammates instead of rivals.
Even years later, this near-trade remains one of the NBA’s most fascinating “almosts.” The deal was close enough to spark legitimate belief that it could happen, yet far enough from completion to remain a tantalizing piece of basketball folklore. Fans in both Los Angeles and Dallas have spent years wondering how the league’s balance of power might have shifted. Would Kobe have been the missing piece to help Dirk overcome his playoff heartbreaks sooner? Would the Lakers have found a new path to contention without their biggest star? And perhaps most intriguingly, how would Kobe’s own career have unfolded in a new city, playing alongside a superstar with such a different style of play?
In hindsight, both franchises ultimately found success on their own paths. The Lakers kept Kobe, traded for Pau Gasol, and returned to championship glory with titles in 2009 and 2010. The Mavericks, after several seasons of close calls, finally broke through in 2011, defeating a stacked Miami Heat team in the Finals. Still, the idea of Kobe in a Mavericks uniform remains one of those sports hypotheticals that will always spark debate, conversation, and a touch of nostalgia for fans who lived through the drama of 2007.
Basketball history is full of trades that changed everything and trades that almost happened but didn’t. The Kobe-to-Dallas saga falls firmly in the latter category—a reminder that sometimes, the deals that don’t go through are just as captivating as the ones that do. For all the speculation, the reality is that Kobe Bryant remained a Laker for life, adding to the mystique of his career and ensuring that his legend would forever be tied to Los Angeles. Yet, somewhere in an alternate NBA universe, a Mavericks team led by Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki might have been hoisting multiple Larry O’Brien trophies, rewriting the storylines of an entire era.
