Lakers News: Shaquille O'Neal Tried to Force Trade from LA to Rival During Kobe Feud

The former L.A. legend admits he tried to make his way to this West powerhouse.

May 23, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before game four between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers were the team of the 2000s led by superstars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. The duo created a dynasty alongside legendary head coach Phil Jackson, and the three are forever mentioned in Laker lore.

There's no doubt the primary reason for their success was due to O'Neal's dominance.

O'Neal was the most dominant player in his generation and possibly in all of basketball. However, after eight years in Los Angeles, time was running out for Shaq in the purple and gold. After three titles and four trips to the NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, which left Bryant as the sole superstar in Los Angeles. While O'Neal went on to succeed with the Heat, he revealed another team he had an interest in, the Western Conference powerhouse, the Dallas Mavericks.

In the latest episode of The Big Podcast hosted by O'Neal, Mavericks and NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki joined the show, and O'Neal told the story of how things almost transpired then.

“I tried to get to Dallas many times. Me and Mark Cuban were working behind the scenes.”

- Shaq on trying to get traded to the Mavs 😳

Ep. 23 is live now on YouTube here: https://t.co/VE3HdI7uyV

Watch the UNCENSORED & AD-FREE version by subscribing to our Passes account… pic.twitter.com/AHGpse5buG

— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) June 5, 2024

"I tried to get to Dallas many times. Me and Mark [Cuban] were working behind the scenes. Right after I left L.A., Mark was the first person I called... I called Mark, and I said, "Mark, whatever you got to do to get me there." and he's like, "The Lakers won't do it, man." and I was like, "****** make them do it, Mark." And they wouldn't do it, but that would've been nice."

A potential O'Neal and Nowitzki pair would have been trouble for the league during that time. O'Neal was still more than capable of being a 25-and-10 type of player, which he showed in Miami. As for Nowitzki, he was an MVP candidate year in and year out, arguably in the prime of his career.

Instead, O'Neal joined a young Dwyane Wade and ironically faced the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. The Heat came out on top in that series, but it's nice to wonder what an O'Neal and Nowitzki frontcourt would have been like and how it could have added to their ring count.

This could be another one of the bigger 'What Ifs?' in NBA history.

More Lakers: Why LA is ‘Infatuated’ with Top Head Coach Candidate