Mark Cuban: “You know how close we were to trading for Kobe in 2007. Oh my God, it was like literally this close. I talked to Jerry Buss and worked something out. Kobe wanted to leave. Jerry said, ‘if you want to leave, we’ll take care of it.’ We were going to trade Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and picks, but no Dirk. I said, ‘Anyone but Dirk.’ Kobe wanted it, and Jerry was willing to do it, but Mitch Kupchak talked Jerry out of it. It was going to happen. I remember telling this dude,’ I’m like, ‘Kobe’s going to be a Mav,’ and I thought it was done. But Mitch Kupchack stepped in, and that’s how it fell apart. The rest is history.”