Billionaire Mark Cuban Reveals How Dream Duo of Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki Fell Apart

The potential blockbuster trade ultimately fell through thanks to Mitch Kupchak’s intervention.

Billionaire Mark Cuban Reveals How Dream Duo of Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki Fell Apart

Mark Cuban (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Mark Cuban revealed a failed trade offer for Kobe Bryant in 2007 involving Dirk Nowitzki.
  • The trade was blocked by Mitch Kupchak after Kobe was convinced to stay with the Lakers.
  • Cuban and Nowitzki later won an NBA championship in 2011, while Bryant won two more titles with the Lakers.

Mark Cuban is a passionate and avid fan of the Dallas Mavericks. He was the former principal owner and is now the minority owner of the Mavs. Despite his minority stake, he continues to speak deeply about the franchise.

On his recent appearance on the Club520 podcast, Cuban revealed the exact details of the Kobe Bryant trade offer they made to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007. 

It was 2007, Kobe was ready to get out. 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. I talk to Dr. Buss and he was ready to do it. It was like two first, Josh Howard and Jason Terry for Kobe. I thought, “Okay, this is done. I told Elvis, “This is done.” Then we got a call from Rob that Mitch Kupchak had talked Kobe out of it. I was telling Dirk the whole time. He goes, ‘You can trade me. I would trade me for Kobe, too. And I’m like no Dirk the whole point is y’all two’.

Mark Cuban on Club 520 podcast

Following the departure of Shaquille O’Neal in 2004, the Lakers struggled with just Kobe Bryant as the lone star. They missed the playoffs in 2005, which was their first absence in the postseason in 11 years.

With the team struggling to put a good roster around Bryant, the five-time champion grew tired and requested to leave the Lakers. Teams lined up to acquire him, and one of the teams was the Mavs owned by Mark Cuban.

The Mavs were coming off a finals run in 2006. Hence, Cuban thought he could trade for Bryant and form a dream duo with Dirk Nowitzki. Unfortunately, the move did not go through because of Mitch Kupchak, who talked Bryant out of it.

Fans react to Mark Cuban nearly trading for Kobe Bryant in 2007

One could wonder how many championships Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki would win if they joined forces. The move would have definitely shaken the NBA and rewritten history.

After Mark Cuban revealed the details of the failed trade for Bryant, fans took to social media to react to it.

While some fans refused to believe the potential trade, some believed the two superstars would win multiple championships. Nowitzki was the MVP in 2006.

Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki went on to win championships

It is possible that the duo of Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki would go on to claim multiple championships. But in the end, the NBA world was deprived of watching the two stars playing together, just like they were denied a Bryant and Chris Paul partnership.

Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki
Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki (Image credits – Sports Illustrated)

While the trade did not materialize, the Lakers took serious note of Bryant’s frustrations and made a series of aggressive moves to surround him with a team that could contend for a championship. Bryant went on to win two consecutive championships in 2008 and 2009. He cemented himself as one of the greats of the game and a Lakers legend.

Meanwhile, Cuban and Nowitzki did taste championship glory in 2011, sweeping Bryant and the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. Both players had great careers and were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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