Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Struck Out Recruiting 2 All-Star Free Agents

The Hall of Famer was relentless in trying to add superstar colleagues even in the twilight of his L.A. tenure.

Feb. 23, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) drives past Portland Trailblazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images / Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images

Late Hall of Fame Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant was relentless on the court. Belatedly, word is spreading that he pretty relentless off it as a recruiter, too.

It appears that the 18-time All-Star and five-time champion was surprisingly aggressive in trying to add superstar colleagues, even deep into the twilight of his L.A. tenure.

Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Bryant made overtures, near the end of his 20-year career, to some younger fellow perennial All-Stars to form a super-team — and also went so far as to advocate his Lakers make a trade for another.

“Still, Bryant had tried to cajole the Lakers into fielding better teams around him in his final few seasons in L.A., recruiting free agent forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, and encouraging a trade for Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins, sources said,” Shelburne revealed. Cousins, of course, would eventually become a technical Laker, signing on to join L.A.'s 2019-20 club, but Bryant had been long since retired by then. Cousins tore his ACL in a summer practice and would never play an actual game for the Lakers, but the team gave him a championship ring when it won without him.

It's not clear exactly when this happened, but presumably it transpired after the collapse of the Lakers' "This Is Gonna Be Fun" team in 2012-13, boasting future Hall of Famers Bryant, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and a very old and totally broken-down Steve Nash. Bryant tore his Achilles just ahead of the playoffs. L.A. finished with a middling 45-37 record and got swept by the Finals-bound San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Howard departed for free agency, and Nash played for exactly 15 more games in his career.

Wade, a 13-time All-Star shooting guard, was already in a different stage of his Hall of Fame career by 2013-14, as nagging knee injuries started to sap him of some of his otherworldly athleticism, but he remained a potent and dynamic scorer and distributor even into his NBA dotage. Aldridge would eventually ditch the Blazers for the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent in 2016, after Bryant had retired. He would have been a terrific partner with Bryant, and a cleaner fit than Wade. Cousins was a four-time All-Star with Sacramento and the New Orleans Pelicans, but lower body injuries (after Bryant's retirement) would ultimately cut his career in the league short. He could have also been a fascinating pairing with Bryant, especially given his 3-point acumen.

More Lakers: Bronny James Seems to Take Shot at Darvin Ham When Discussing JJ Redick