How close was Kobe Bryant to leaving the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007? Apparently he was extremely close.
Ken Berger of CBS Sports details the story of how the Lakers and Detroit Pistons had an agreed deal that would have sent Bryant to Detroit back in 2007, with Bryant originally agreeing to go before reversing his decision at the eleventh hour.
“The deal was done,” an individual who was involved with the negotiations told Berger. “We were just waiting to set up the conference call with the league office.”
Remember, back in 2007, Bryant had publicly asked for a trade from the Lakers, citing his dissatisfaction with the front office after consecutive first round exits. Bryant wanted to win, and he wanted to prove he could do it without Shaquille O’Neal, and he felt that the Lakers couldn’t offer him the supporting cast he needed to do it. Things were so ugly that the late Jerry Buss ordered GM Mitch Kupchak to ship Bryant out, even though he didn’t want to.
Bryant’s preferred destination, according to Berger, was the Chicago Bulls, but he was also willing to approve a trade to Detroit. Sources told Berger that the deal was completely agreed upon: Bryant to Detroit in exchange for Rip Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, and a pair of first round picks. Bryant signed off on the move on the move on the condition that Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace weren’t included, as he envisioned teaming up with them in the Motor City.
So what happened? Buss and Bryant wanted to meet in person before the trade was finalized, and in that meeting, Buss convinced Bryant to remain loyal to the Lakers and assured him that they’d get him help, and Bryant blocked the deal. The Pistons, Berger said, knew that the deal wouldn’t be consummated as soon as they learned about the meeting, correctly predicting that Bryant’s loyalty would win out.
This story has been out there for a few years, and Bryant, for his part, has always denied that he would have approved a trade to Detroit.
The two franchises went in wildly different directions from there. The Pistons made the conference finals in 2008, but lost to eventual champion Boston. The current 2015-16 season is the first winning season they’ve had since. The Lakers, meanwhile, followed through by getting Pau Gasol, and while they lost to Boston in 2008, they won consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010. The Lakers also discussed another blockbuster move involving Bryant that summer, but ultimately, all parties involved ended up happy with how things went. Except the Pistons, I guess.
