The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA in 2004 by showcasing their willingness to trade their star center, Shaquille O’Neal. It sparked an off-court tug-of-war between the franchises with Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks taking part in it. To bring the Diesel on, the owner of the Texas organization was reportedly willing to trade any Mavs player, except for Dirk Nowitzki. The 4x champion’s autobiography, Shaq Uncut, shed light on that phase, revealing the lesser-known details of the scenario.
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Shaq mentioned how the situation had the likes of Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas interested in signing him. “Larry Bird was running the show in Indiana, and he really wanted me to come there. He offered the Lakers anyone they wanted from his roster,” he stated. The 7’1 icon further added, “Isiah Thomas was running the Knicks, and he offered up his whole roster, too, but he didn’t have very much”.
“Milwaukee and Atlanta were interested, too. LA could have their pick of their guys,” the 2000 MVP highlighted. Despite the massive appeal, the options started to narrow down with time as the off-season progressed. “It came down to two teams—Miami [Heat] and Dallas [Mavericks],” Shaq disclosed.
Despite being a small market team at that time, the Mavs remained persistent in bringing on the New Jersey-born. Under the leadership of their then-owner, the franchise was willing to go any distance except for trading their international star, Nowitzki. “Mark Cuban flew in and sat down with us, then he went back to the Lakers and said he’d trade anybody for me except for Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk was his guy,” the 15x All-Star revealed in his book.
The desperation around the league to sign Shaq showcased his dominance as a player on the floor. By that time, he had already helped the Lakers achieve a three-peat with triumphs in 2000, 2001, and 2002 while winning a Finals MVP award on each of those three occasions. Thus, all the interested franchises were quick to comprehend the upside of the trade.
The Dallas side was no exception as Cuban displayed his ambitious nature as the leader of their operations. He recognized how the arrival of Shaq could potentially change the fortune of the team while acknowledging the rise of Nowitzki as a power forward. His faith paid off as in 2011, the German helped the franchise achieve their championship aspirations. But, to make that happen, he needed to see O’Neal go to a different team.
Who did Shaquille O’Neal eventually join?
The entire trade situation sparked after the Lakers lost in the 2004 NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons. It put O’Neal in the negative limelight as the leader of the roster was criticized for several reasons. It also put forward his tussles with the team’s shooting guard Kobe Bryant as their relationship broke down following the defeat. Eventually, the franchise opted to back Bryant, deciding to let Shaq go.
So, in July 2004, the 1993 ROTY joined the Eastern Conference side, the Miami Heat. In his second year with the franchise, the team reached the NBA Finals for the first time in their history. Interestingly, Shaq’s side had to go up against the Mavericks for the title-deciding series. Averaging 13.7-10.2-2.8 in six games, he assisted the organization in winning its first-ever championship following a 4-2 series victory.
Thus, the 2x scoring champion proved his prowess to the NBA yet again as he silenced his doubters with his fourth ring. Despite this, years later he revealed how the Lakers could have won a total of 6-7 championships instead of just three had he stayed with the team. Kobe had voiced the same once, stating, “I would’ve had 12 f*****g rings!”.
So, the individual success following their separation filled them with instant joy but upon reflection, it revealed to them their shortcomings. The duo never fully worked on mitigating their differences as they let their egos get in the way of greatness. Two enigmatic figures of modern basketball disrupted the NBA market on their own rights, yet retired with a certain level of unfulfilment.
