Kobe Bryant’s legacy is so impressive and gaudy that it is sometimes easy to forget that he went through a very turbulent stretch in the middle of his career.
After the Los Angeles Lakers traded his co-superstar Shaquille O’Neal in 2004, he was doomed to go to war with a very anemic cast over the next three seasons. They missed the playoffs in 2005 and got ushered out of the first round of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns in 2006 and 2007, and by the 2007 offseason, Bryant was fed up.
He infamously demanded a trade, and although the Lakers were very reluctant to entertain his trade demand, they did eventually start having discussions with a few teams.
One of those teams was the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a 22-year-old future Hall of Famer by the name of LeBron James. Reportedly, the Lakers actually tried to see if they could swap Bryant for James.
Via ESPN:
“According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the event, the Lakers once contacted the Cavs to investigate whether Cleveland would make James available in a possible Bryant trade,” wrote Brian Windhorst.
“In the summer of 2007, Bryant was 28 years old and coming off a season in which he averaged 32 points per game and shot 46 percent from the field. He had three rings and would win his first Most Valuable Player award the following season.
“Bryant was under contract for two more seasons, but he was frustrated with the Lakers after three consecutive subpar seasons following the Shaquille O’Neal trade.”
Of course, the Cavs said no. Who in their right mind would trade a player such as James, who had just led them to the NBA Finals and seemed content in Cleveland at the time?
“The Cavs said that James, indeed, was untouchable, sources said. Then they attempted to make the Lakers a different offer for Bryant, offering anyone else on their team in a package for him. The Lakers had no interest.”
Later, Los Angeles reportedly reached an agreement on a trade involving Bryant with the Detroit Pistons. However, Bryant had a rare no-trade clause, and he vetoed the deal because he had a short list of teams on his list of destinations, and Detroit wasn’t on that list.
Against all odds, it all worked out. At the time, the Lakers looked like they were doomed to continued mediocrity, since they had almost no viable trade assets they could use to improve Bryant’s supporting cast and transform themselves into a contender.
But the heavens dropped a huge gold boulder into their laps on Feb. 1, 2008. That was the day they acquired Hall of Fame big man Pau Gasol without giving up Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum or any other members of their young core.
In a jiffy, the fortunes of both Bryant and the Lakers turned around faster than one could say “blockbuster trade.” They immediately started a string of three straight NBA Finals appearances and won back-to-back world championships in 2009 and 2010, including one over the hated Boston Celtics.
As the old saying goes, sometimes the best trades are the ones that aren’t made.