Five alternative NBA timelines for Shaquille O’Neal
By John Buhler
2. What if the Los Angeles Lakers picked him over Kobe Bryant?
When the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons, the rocky marriage between Kobe Bryant and O’Neal was over. The Lakers front office had to make an ultimatum: Bryant or O’Neal.
Los Angeles would trade O’Neal to the Miami Heat later that summer, but what it Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak valued O’Neal more than Bryant? Keeping Bryant was the right move, as he had eight more years left in his prime, played better defense than O’Neal, and anchored two more championship teams. Could the Lakers still win with just Shaq?
Suppose Bryant’s hyper-intense personality was too agonizing for the Lakers to go forward with. The Pistons were the best trade partner for Lakers in the Bryant sweepstakes. Los Angeles would gain either Chauncey Billups or Richard Hamilton, as well as a future first-round pick at the very least.
The Lakers probably would have won one more NBA Championship with O’Neal as their centerpiece. Either Billups or Hamilton could be the ideal No. 2 to Shaq with the mid-2000s Lakers. Los Angeles would win one more NBA Championship before Shaq exited his prime in 2007-08.
Detroit would have won two or maybe even three more championships with Bryant as the Pistons star player. Miami would not be the marquee free agent destination it is now. Dwyane Wade would be viewed in the same light as Carmelo Anthony: a great individual talent without an NBA ring.
Who knows if LeBron James would have ever left Cleveland? Maybe the Cavaliers are still without a championship because they couldn’t have drafted Kyrie Irving. He was the one bright spot to James’ exodus to South Beach.
Keeping Shaq in Los Angeles and trading Kobe to the Pistons doesn’t hurt either players’ legacy. It does have a negative impact on Wade and James. That’s for sure.
Next: 1. What if he never left the Orlando Magic?