Nine seasons ago, when Kobe Bryant was asking to be traded, the Los Angeles Lakers called the Cleveland Cavaliers if they would trade Bryant for Lebron James. While the offer was good at the time, the Cavs ultimately declined.
During this time Bryant was still in his stride, leading the league in scoring at 32 points per game. However, Bryant was starting to get frustrated at the way the organization was heading, SB Nation reported.
The Lakers had not seen past the first round of the playoffs since trading star center Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat three years prior. But Bryant was still under contract for another two years and the Lakers wanted to see what they could get for him.
Bryant remembers the time well, the Lakers star stated that the team had to do something and that he was losing faith on what the organization was doing, ESPN reported. Bryant goes on to say that he felt like he was nothing but a meal ticket for the team, since he was the main draw for tickets as well as being instrumental at the team winning.
It seems nearly impossible to think that talks of a trade of this magnitude would go under the radar for so long.
Apparently, the only reason why the front office of the Cavaliers remember the trade was because it was the first and only time they were called about trading for James.
It has never been a secret that during his tenure with Cleveland, James has been untouchable when it comes to trading for him. Even back when Cleveland had the first pick in the NBA draft to choose James, nobody called to see if they could trade up for him.
While nothing ever happened between the two teams back then, it should be noted that Bryant did have a no-trade clause in his contract during that time. The Lakers star still had veto-power when it came to him being traded. A power he used when the Lakers tried to ship him to Detroit. It was well known that the only teams that Bryant wanted to play for at the time includes the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls.
In the end, the teams both did well since that season, with both teams making multiple NBA finals appearances.
Check out the experts theorize what might have happened: