Basketball fans love to debate the great “what-ifs” in NBA history, but few near-misses are as tantalizing as the trade that almost sent Kobe Bryant to the Dallas Mavericks in 2007. On April 7, 2026, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reignited the conversation by revealing just how close he came to pulling off a blockbuster deal that would have paired Bryant with Dallas icon Dirk Nowitzki. The story, retold across multiple podcasts and sports outlets, has left fans and analysts alike wondering how the league might have changed if two of its biggest stars had joined forces in Texas.
According to Cuban, the trade talks unfolded during a particularly hectic period in his life—while he was competing on the reality show ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ “It was 2007, Kobe was ready to get out. And I was on Dancing with the Stars. Google me. I didn’t win,” Cuban joked on the Club 520 Podcast. In between rehearsals and live shows, Cuban found himself sneaking away to negotiate with Kobe’s agent, Rob Pelinka, and to seek approval from Lakers owner Jerry Buss. The Mavericks had put together a compelling offer: Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and two first-round draft picks in exchange for Bryant, who was then considered the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Lakers.
“There was a dude named Elvis who was a production assistant, right? And he was just Kobe love everything. I’m between breaks, I’d be like, Elvis, I need a quiet spot. And I would talk to Rob Pelinka, his agent at the time, and he’s like, ‘Okay, if you can get Dr. Buss to approve,'” Cuban recalled. The pieces seemed to be falling into place. Cuban spoke with Jerry Buss, who, according to Cuban, was ready to sign off on the trade. “He was ready to do it. It was like two firsts, Josh Howard, and Jason Terry for Kobe. I thought, ‘Okay, this is done.’ I told Elvis, ‘This is done.'”
But as any seasoned NBA observer knows, no deal is complete until it’s inked. The final hurdle proved insurmountable: Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak stepped in and convinced Bryant to stay in Los Angeles. That single intervention would ripple through NBA history, keeping Bryant in purple and gold and leaving Cuban and the Mavericks to wonder what might have been. “We got a call from Rob that Mitch Kupchak, right? Had talked Kobe out of it. That close,” Cuban said.
Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks’ franchise player and a future Hall of Famer, was kept in the loop throughout the process. In a twist that reveals both his humility and commitment to the team, Nowitzki even offered himself up as a trade piece. “I was telling Dirk [Nowitzki] the whole time. He goes, ‘You can trade me. I would trade me for Kobe, too,'” Cuban remembered. Cuban, however, was adamant that the goal was to pair the two superstars, not swap one for the other. “No, Dirk, the whole point is y’all two,” he insisted.
The context of this near-trade is crucial. By 2007, the Lakers were in a period of flux. The dominant duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had been split up after O’Neal’s departure in 2004, leaving Bryant to carry the team through several challenging seasons. Frustrated with the Lakers’ direction, Bryant was reportedly open to leaving Los Angeles, sparking trade discussions with several franchises, including the Mavericks. For Cuban, who had long sought to land a superstar to complement Nowitzki, the opportunity was almost too good to be true.
“Kobe was ready to get out…And I was on Dancing with the Stars. Google me. I didn’t win. But in any event, there was a dude named Elvis who was a production assistant. And he was just Kobe love everything. And in between breaks, I’d be like, ‘Elvis, I need a quiet spot,’ and I would talk to Rob Pelinka, his agent at the time, and he’s like, ‘Okay, if you can get Dr. Buss to approve,’” Cuban told Eurohoops in another interview.
The trade, had it gone through, would have dramatically altered the NBA landscape. Pairing Bryant with Nowitzki would have created one of the most formidable duos in league history. Nowitzki’s unique skill set—a nearly unguardable jump shot and mastery of the mid-range—combined with Bryant’s legendary scoring prowess and killer instinct, could have vaulted the Mavericks into perennial championship contention. The prospect left fans salivating, and even today, the story sparks heated debates about how many titles Dallas might have won with both stars on the roster.
Instead, history took a different path. Bryant stayed in Los Angeles, where the Lakers’ front office, led by Kupchak, rebuilt the team around him. The addition of Trevor Ariza and, more importantly, the acquisition of Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies at the 2008 trade deadline, transformed the Lakers back into a juggernaut. Bryant would go on to win two more championships in 2009 and 2010, solidifying his legacy as one of the all-time greats. Meanwhile, Nowitzki remained the cornerstone of the Mavericks, enduring years of playoff heartbreak before finally capturing his own elusive championship in 2011.
Looking back, Cuban’s relentless pursuit of superstar talent is emblematic of his tenure as Mavericks owner. He was never shy about swinging for the fences, even if it meant risking the team’s future assets. “This near-miss trade highlights Mark Cuban’s relentless pursuit of superstar talent to pair with Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks’ franchise player. While the deal ultimately fell through, it demonstrates the lengths Cuban was willing to go to build a championship contender in Dallas,” noted a recent analysis.
Ultimately, the failed trade is a testament to the unpredictable nature of NBA roster building. For every blockbuster that shakes up the league, there are countless deals that fall apart at the last minute, often due to a single phone call or a change of heart. In this case, the intervention of Mitch Kupchak not only kept Bryant in Los Angeles but also preserved the unique legacies of both Bryant and Nowitzki—each leading their respective teams to championship glory on their own terms.
As the Mavericks and Lakers continue to forge their own paths in the NBA, the ghost of the almost-trade lingers as a reminder of how close the league came to witnessing a partnership for the ages. For now, fans are left to imagine what might have been, knowing that sometimes, the greatest stories in sports are the ones that never quite happen.