Kobe Bryant’s legacy continues to reverberate through the NBA only days after his passing. The Los Angeles community mourns the loss of their Lakers legend. Fans continue to gather outside the Staples Center and honor Bryant, who died in a tragic helicopter crash Sunday.
In the days since his death, there have been several stories about what could have been. There’s definitely talk about what could have been in his post-NBA career. He was, after all, only getting started with his business ventures and creative side.
But plenty of reports have gazed back into the past, looking into what could have been for his NBA career. What if he joined the Detroit Pistons? Or left Los Angeles for Chicago? Would we be rewriting his legacy?
I did a little research to find all the near-trades and almost-signings that happened for Bryant through his career. It’s a fascinating look back into the history of Bryant’s career. Let’s dive in.
Golden State Warriors
The situation: Kobe Bryant had an extended offer — sort of — to join the Golden State Warriors as the team rose to their recent prime, according to the East Bay Times.
- Warriors general manager Bob Myers tried to convince Kobe to join the Warriors if he ever decided to leave retirement. Of course, Bryant later said Myers was joking. But the story itself offers a glimpse of what could have been.
- Bryant told the HoopsHype podcast that Myers said Kobe could join the Warriors if he ever thought about leaving retirement.
- Bryant: “Not seriously. I’ve known Bob Myers, the GM over at Golden State, forever. Like, I remember the day he was going to take his bar (exam). We used to hang together all the time.
- Bryant: “My last All-Star Game (in 2016) we had a chance to catch up, as we were staying at the same hotel. I got a chance to tell him congratulations on everything and he said, ‘Hey listen, if there’s any chance you want to change your mind and play another year, you can always come (to Golden State).’ But it’s all tongue-in-cheek, man.”
Warriors roster: Let’s say Kobe Bryant joined the Golden State Warriors for the 2016-2017 season, which would have been the season after Bryant retired. The lineup would have included:
- Stephen Curry
- Kevin Durant
- Draymond Green
- Andre Iguodala
- Klay Thompson
- Kobe Bryant
- Granted, Bryant probably would have been an older, off-the-bench player for that time. The Warriors won the NBA title that year without Bryant, so who knows if it would have made a huge difference.
Los Angeles Clippers
The situation: On Tuesday night, NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West confessed that Kobe almost left the Lakers in 2004 to join the Los Angeles Clippers. West, who was managing the Memphis Grizzlies at the time, told Bryant not to join the Clippers, according to Yahoo! Sports.
- West (via Yahoo! Sports): “I remember when he was going to leave the Lakers,” West said. “I never really mentioned this to anyone. He was going to come and sign with the Clippers, who I am now involved with as a consultant. And I told him ‘Kobe, under no circumstances can you do this.’ He was mad at everyone at the Lakers, the owner, everyone else. I said ‘Kobe, you can’t go play with the Clippers. You can’t play for that owner. Period.’
- West (via Yahoo! Sports): “We had two conversations about — he supposedly made a commitment to the Clippers — and after the last one, we talked for the last time. But there were so many things that we talked about, as he was just seeking information. His parents were with him for a while, and honestly I felt like his father for two years.”
Chicago Bulls
The situation: Bryant nearly signed with the Chicago Bulls twice, too, according to the Chicago Tribune. The trade discussions came up when Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were trading barbs back and forth. There was a brief time when Bryant would have left. Chicago was high on his list.
- Bryant told the Chicago Tribune in 2004: “We were looking at houses, we were looking at schools. We already were talking about a sign-and-trade.”
- O’Neal ended up going to the Miami Heat, leaving Bryant on the Lakers.
Dallas Mavericks
The situation: Per the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed in 2016 that he almost traded for Bryant in the 2006-2007 season.
- The trade would have sent Josh Howard, Jason Terry and draft picks to Los Angeles for Kobe.
- Cuban: “I could have sworn that we had a deal done.”
- Bryant would have teamed with Dirk Nowitzki, who had been the MVP of the NBA the previous season.
- Bryant, with the Lakers, and Nowitzki, with the Mavs, went on to win titles on their own. It’s an interesting idea to think what would happened otherwise.
Detroit Pistons
The situation: Bryant was nearly traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2007, too, according to CBS Sports. Bryant reportedly demanded a trade after back-to-back exits in the first round of the playoffs.
- Detroit almost traded Richard Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell and two first-round draft picks to Los Angeles for Bryant, according to CBS Sports.
- The Los Angeles Lakers could have won four titles with Shaq and Kobe had it not been for the 2004 pistons, who defeated the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
Cleveland Cavaliers
There was a rumored trade in 2007 that would have sent Kobe Bryant to the Cleveland Cavaliers for LeBron James, according to ESPN. Yeah. Think about that.
- It didn’t get past the inquiry stage. But it is fascinating to wonder what would happened for both stars.
- That said, Bryant went on to win two championships with the Lakers in the following season. James didn’t win a title until he went to the Miami Heat.