Mark Cuban thought Kobe Bryant was going to join Mavericks in 2007
Some nine years ago, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was real close to becoming a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Real close.
So said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
“In [September of] 2007 I would have sworn we had a deal done for Josh Howard and [Jason Terry to the Lakers for Bryant],” Cuban said before Wednesday’s regular-season finale against the San Antonio Spurs. “I was telling all the stage hands at Dancing with the Stars it was done. And then [LA general manager] Mitch [Kupchak] or [owner] Jerry Buss, or whoever, talked him out of it.”
It would have been different. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
Owner Mark Cuban on a deal that would have brought Kobe Bryant to Dallas
Cuban said in addition to trading Howard and Terry for Bryant, the Mavs also would have sent a first-round draft pick and taken back something from the Lakers — likely some low-level players or players with bad contracts.
When Dirk Nowitzki got wind of the deal, Cuban said the forward obviously didn’t hear the news correctly.
“I do remember Dirk coming to me and saying, ‘Look, if you can trade me for Kobe you got to do it,’ ” Cuban said. “I’m like ‘Dirk, that’s not going to happen.’ ”
The addition of Bryant, who played his final game Wednesday after a 20-year career, would have changed the fortunes of both the Mavs and Lakers.
“It would have been different,” Cuban said. “Woulda, coulda, shoulda. There have been 20 deals that I thought were done that fell through for whatever reason. It would have been interesting.”
Cuban then took a swipe at former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause, who broke up the team after they won their sixth title in eight years after the 1997-98 season and said organizations win championships. To borrow a line from Krause, Cuban said: “Like I said earlier, players don’t win championships. Organizations do. That’s what Jerry Krause says.”
By the way, Bryant won two of his five NBA titles in 2009 and 2010, while the Mavs won their only title in 2011.
So, was the Bryant deal falling through the biggest disappointment of Cuban’s 16-year ownership of the Mavs?
“That’s not the way I look at it,” he said. “We ended up doing OK.”
Barea close
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is optimistic that guard J.J. Barea will be ready to play once the playoffs starts.
We have some unique therapists around the team, some people that do some unique work with the muscle and body.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on the medical staff that was able to get J.J. Berea ready to play Monday despite an injured groin.
Barea has missed two of the past three games — including Wednesday’s game against San Antonio — with a strained right groin. But Carlisle praised his medical staff for getting Barea ready to play in Monday’s game in Utah.
“We have some unique therapists around the team, some people that do some unique work with the muscle and body,” Carlisle said. “The work that he did, that they have done with him in the previous three days to even get him in a position to even play in Utah, was a minor miracle.
“And coming out of the Utah game, what I understand, he did no worse damage. You could tell he wasn’t 100 percent on the one hand, but on the other hand, if you look at our team productivity when he was on the floor, I mean having him out there meant an awful a lot.”
The Mavs are also dealing with two other key injuries that could impact the playoffs.
Guard Devin Harris missed Wednesday’s game with a sprained left thumb, and center David Lee left Wednesday’s game in the second quarter and did not return due to an injured right foot.
Dwain Price: 817-390-7760, @dwainprice
This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 10:28 PM with the headline "Mark Cuban thought Kobe Bryant was going to join Mavericks in 2007."