Circa 2007, the Utah Jazz were among the best teams in the NBA. They were coming off their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1998 and weren't slowing down. Something else was happening around the NBA at that time: Kobe Bryant's trade request.
It seems lost to time now, but Bryant made a very public trade demand, which took him a while to reverse. Bryant ultimately stayed in LA, and the rest is history. However, a new revelation has come to the forefront that should make Jazz fans wonder about what could have been.
Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban admitted on Shaquille O'Neal's podcast that the Mavericks almost traded for Bryant in 2007.
Mark Cuban reveals Kobe Bryant almost became a Dallas Maverick in 2007 😳
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) October 9, 2024
Could you imagine Kobe and Dirk in Dallas?
New Big Pod episode ft. Mark Cuban is live now! Watch here: https://t.co/CwteoCaglX pic.twitter.com/CTpiyplGeb
If the Lakers had pulled the trigger on that trade, that would have changed the NBA's landscape. While many can speculate what would have happened to the Mavericks, trading away Bryant would have worsened the Lakers to the point where they never would have won the two titles they did in 2009 and 2010.
However, the ripple effects would have altered the Jazz's history during that time. While many should look back at that Jazz era with pride, knowing how much success they achieved, knowing the Lakers could have dismantled themselves would have changed their trajectory then since it was the Lakers themselves who eliminated them from 2008 to 2010.
The Jazz may have been closer to a title in 2008
That core of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap, Mehmet Okur, and Andrei Kirilenko was really good. Good enough that when the Lakers were making their run to the NBA Finals in 2008, the team that fought them the hardest were in fact the Jazz.
No Bryant in LA post-2007 also means no Pau Gasol, which means that not only would the Jazz have never had to face them, but that's one less contender they had to worry about. They may have had to worry about the Mavericks with Bryant and Nowitzki joining forces, but anything is possible in the world of hypotheticals.
The Jazz fell to the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, but they didn't put up as good of a fight then, with a lot being because of injuries to Okur and Kirilenko. Injuries are part of the game, and there's nothing tha can be done about it. In 2008 though, the Jazz had a fair shot with a full squad, and they may have had their third NBA Finals appearance if the Lakers hadn't stood in their way.
Deron Williams may not have left
Williams had a very public fallout with the Jazz during the 2010-11 season, which makes him among the best players who turned their back on the franchise. Even though Jerry Sloan got the best out of Williams, he wanted something new.
He had his reasons, but likely one of them was the fact that Utah was not doing any better. What may have changed Williams' mind is if the Jazz had potentially been in championship contention from 2008 to 2010. Granted, star players have previously wanted to leave contenders, but instances like those are rare.
If the Jazz had proven that they were right on the cusp of a title, perhaps Williams would have played out the rest of his prime in Utah, which would have left a much different legacy for him in Utah when it was all said and done.
It also could have changed the Gordon Hayward era
Remember that the Jazz would have likely gotten their hands on Hayward regardless of what would have happened. Thanks to the obscure Tom Gugliotta trade from 2004, Utah had the Knicks' pick in 2010. Lo and behold, Hayward showed up.
While that may not sound like anything, Hayward may have been joining a winning team, which could have influenced his decision in the future. Granted, Hayward was a late bloomer in Utah, but perhaps the Jazz's success could have convinced him to stay.
If they had achieved high success just as Hayward had arrived, it might have been harder for him to leave, knowing he started his career with a winner.
Yeah, this is all based on something that never happened, but it is a shame that the Jazz's history could have been vastly different had the Lakers granted Kobe's wishes in 2007. Nothing can be done about it now, but who knows where the Jazz would be if Bryant had been donning a different jersey by then,