“Kobe Bryant For Corey Maggette Makes Sense”: Lakers Legend’s Trade Value Touched All-Time Low After A Losing 2004-05 Season

Kobe Bryant is probably the greatest Lakers player of all time. However, he wouldn’t have attained this status had they traded him at a low point.

There are more stars who’ve played for multiple NBA teams today than ever before. With all of the player movement that has gone on of late, fans have come to expect that their favorite player on their favorite team might be on the move after just one down season.

More than ever, championships and deep playoff runs have become the metric by which we rank and analyze comparable players. As a result, the one-team man – across sports – has become exceedingly rare in today’s world.

The last time we got a LeBron vs KD matchup was on 12/25/2018

This is what the NBA looked like in December of 2018 pic.twitter.com/2XlkgtlWn7

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 23, 2023

This is a part of the charm associated with the legend of Kobe. After all, he stayed a Laker for 20 years, winning 5 championships and innumerable other accolades.

Although Kobe’s loyalty to the Lakers is nothing to scoff at, there’s no denying that there were difficult points in their relationship. Bryant requested a trade multiple times and was looking to pack his bags before the Shaq trade took place.

The Lakers were reportedly considering moving on from Kobe Bryant in 2005

The departures of Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal left humongous holes in the Lakers’ locker room. Although they got Caron Butler and Lamar Odom from Miami, with the legendary Rudy Tomjanovich as their coach, their honeymoon period was short-lived.

Rudy T retired mid-way through the 2004-05 season citing health concerns. Shortly after, Kobe suffered an injury against Cleveland that kept him out of action for a month. By the end of March, the Lakers had slumped from 24-19 to 32-37.

An old report by ESPN speculated that the Lakers were shopping their franchise star for whatever they could get. The Clippers, Bulls, and Grizzlies were reportedly in contention:

“The Lakers probably could land Corey Maggette, Chris Wilcox and a re-signed Marko Jaric from the Clippers.”

“West remains a fan of Kobe (and vice versa) and would likely give up anyone on his roster to get a true star in Memphis. Mike Miller, James Posey, Stromile Swift and Earl Watson in a sign-and-trade would all be possibilities.”

What would’ve happened had the Lakers traded Kobe?

Bryant was at his absolute peak during the years that he played without another All-Star beside him. His departure would’ve left a huge, irreplaceable gap in the Lakers, given that they’d never receive equal value in return for Bryant.

Bryant might have forged a different path to a championship without being on the Lakers. However, the Lakers would forever be seen as the team that let go of the 2 best players in the NBA.

They may not have been the free-agent destination they are today, and would probably have had 3 fewer championships.