As we all know, Kobe Bryant's "ambition" is to lead the team to win the championship without Shaquille O'Neal.
When Shaq joined the Lakers, the team won three consecutive championships, while O'Neal won the Finals MVP in every series. Later, The relationship between Kobe Bryant and O'Neal broke down completely after the 2003 season, resulting in O'Neal being traded in the offseason after the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons.
In 2006, O'Neal won his fourth championship with young rising star Dwyane Wade at miami. The Lakers on the other side struggled to complete their penultimate season in history. After the 2006-2007 season, tensions between Kobe Bryant and the Lakers reached an all-time high. So much so that it is said that at that time, the Lakers tried to trade Kobe Bryant to get LeBron James, a young supergiant.
Although James eventually joined the Lakers in 2018 and helped the team win the championship in 2020, imagine if he had joined the team at that stage, he would have changed the entire pattern of the league?
Let's analyze this unrealized blockbuster trading bomb!
Transaction details
Los Angeles Lakers get: LeBron James
Cleveland Cavaliers Get: Kobe Bryant
When O'Neal put on his fourth championship ring, it certainly added an extra sense of urgency to Kobe. He has to prove he can win the championship without him. The Lakers were out of the playoffs in the first round with a 42-40 record. While Bryant's score was high, he felt the Lakers were just using him to fill the stand seats, not to win the championship.
Bryant told ESPN reporter Baxter Holmes: "I just lost faith in what they were trying to do. It's like I'm a meal ticket, coming out and taking 40 or 50 points, just to fill the box office, which I absolutely disagree with, I have to do something. ”
Apparently, Bryant was so excited about the change that there was speculation that he was looking for a deal to leave Los Angeles. At that time, the Lakers received a call from the Cleveland Cavaliers. James, who was just 22 years old at the time and had just led a limited team to the NBA Finals, averaged 25/8/8 per game in the team's playoffs and was hailed as the league's future new leader.
James proved that even without a second superstar, he is capable of leading the team to the Finals. He could replace Bryant as the face of the Lakers and the league, while giving the team the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
However, one major obstacle to the deal is that Bryant's contract has a ban on trading. At the time, the Lakers almost traded Bryant to the Detroit Pistons, but the deal was vetoed. Because Bryant turned down the deal, the Pistons aren't one of the teams he recognizes. Supposedly, according to Holmes, neither were the knights.
Going to the Cavaliers wouldn't give Kobe Bryant a better chance of winning the championship. Considering he has two seasons left on his contract, it will be a tough arrangement for Bryant. Without a real chance of competition, Bryant may portray himself as a more villain, and James, who has three years left on a contract, may see the Lakers take action to try to get him to have a giant like the Lakers.
If a deal happens, the Lakers expect a lineup
PG: Derek Fisher
SG: Luke Wharton
SF: LeBron James
PF: Ronnie Turiav
C: Kwame Brown
At the beginning of the season, the Lakers had not yet reached a deal with Paul Gasol. Imagine if the Lakers had made the same move for Gasol on James' roster, would you say the potential combination would have resembled the Cavaliers' Kevin Loew?
In addition, Phil Jackson served as coach. Can James master the triangle offense? Because when we saw Jackson as an executive in later years, not all players fit into his system. Bryant can do this kind of offense, so his combination with Gasol can win the championship. So, will it be the same for James?
If a trade occurs, the Cavaliers anticipate a lineup
PG: Daniel Gibson
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Larry Hughes
PF: Drew Gooden
C:大Z
This is assuming that the Cavaliers starting lineup that was best suited to Kobe Bryant at the time. Wouldn't it be interesting to think that the center who paired Kobe Bryant was Big Z instead of Kwame Brown? Mo Williams was also acquired and became an All-Star player the following season.
The real question is whether Bryant can find a way to succeed against the Boston Celtics through this lineup. Because the Celtics got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen that season to make up the Horror Triumvirate. James only played the Celtics after joining the Miami Heat, so it's hard to believe Bryant will find a way to get through.
Of course, this trading scenario is just one of the biggest "assumptions" for fans. After all, in the 2000s -- 2010s, the debate between the two was better in the league. Although, this may be the biggest blockbuster deal that fans and friends have ever seen in their lives. But given the two scenarios of Kobe and James, that would also negate their championship. It could create new history, but instead, the deal that didn't happen meant more to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers and their fans.
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