Mark Cuban Reveals How Close Kobe Bryant Was To Joining The Mavericks

If one were to believe Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks had more failed trades for superstars than successful ones. He was always looking for the perfect star to pair with Dirk Nowitzki, but it never really happened. There sure seemed to be a lot of failed ones, and his favorite story to tell is almost trading for Kobe Bryant from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Cuban recounted the story again on the "Club 520" podcast, saying how close he got to trading for Bryant.

︀︀“It was 2007, Kobe was ready to get out. And I was on Dancing with the Stars. Google me. I didn’t win. There was a dude named Elvis who was a production assistant, right? And he was just Kobe love everything," Cuban recalled. "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.' And I talk to Dr. Buss, and 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.' I went to practice on my jive or whatever, and then we got a call from Rob that Mitch Kupchak, right? Had talked Kobe out of it. That close. And I was telling Dirk [Nowitzki] 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 almost trading for Kobe Bryant:

“It was 2007, Kobe was ready to get out. And I was on Dancing with the Stars. Google me. I didn’t win. 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… pic.twitter.com/Q85PrbrHWx
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) April 6, 2026

Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki; What Could've Been

Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant had a lot of respect for each other, and they would've formed an incredible duo. Nowitzki was one of the most unguardable players in NBA history with his high release and being a master in the mid-range, while Bryant was one of the greatest scorers ever.

Bryant ended up winning two championships after staying with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, while Nowitzki finally got his in 2011 with the Mavs. Instead of trading Bryant away, they rebuilt the team around him, getting Trevor Ariza in the offseason before swindling the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol at the 2008 trade deadline. Had Marc Gasol not turned into a good player, that would've been one of the more lopsided trades in NBA history.

It was off to the races from there for the Lakers, as Gasol instantly fit in with Phil Jackson's infamous triangle offense, and he formed a great partnership with Bryant.

Nowitzki never got his true co-star, but the Mavs were still consistently a threat before breaking through in 2011, one of the hardest paths to a championship we may ever see.

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