5 best superstars the Chicago Bulls (almost) landed since 2000

2. Kobe Bryant

Year: 2007

Team he ended up with: Los Angeles Lakers

There are two spots on this list where players landed with the Lakers instead of the Chicago Bulls. Once again, Howard spurning the Bulls in 2012 comes back up. But the other was a player staying with the team he spent pretty much his entire career with. That player is legendary shooting guard Kobe Bryant.

Two players that are guaranteed to be known as all-time NBA greats round out this list as those who almost ended up with the Bulls. The “Black Mamba” had legit trade rumors that caught steam back in 2007 when the Lakers were starting to slide after the Kobe-Shaquille O’Neal duo ended and he bolted for the Miami Heat.

The Bulls were trying to put together a trade package to lure Kobe away from the Lakers, but nothing caught enough traction to get him to the Windy City. The holdup to Kobe landing with the Bulls was a whirlwind that caught then 22-year-old wing Luol Deng in the middle. Kobe wanted to play with Deng, but the Lakers wanted him as the centerpiece as a return in this potential trade package.

This is what ultimately shot down the trade deal going down that would send the Black Mamba to the Bulls. If the Bulls had one more potential star to send to the Lakers, a backcourt featuring D-Rose and Kobe might’ve come to life (with one major flaw). Kobe would’ve joined the Bulls ahead of the 2007-08 season, and likely pushed the team far enough to eliminate the opportunity to snag D-Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.