Shaquille O'Neal before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

How a proposed Shaq trade from Lakers to Mavericks nearly changed NBA history

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 11:33 AM ET

The Dallas Mavericks are nearly two decades removed from their first NBA Finals appearance in 2006.

That team was led by Dirk Nowitzki, but there was a chance that squad could have been led by Shaquille O'Neal. CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn took a trip down memory lane to see what the Mavs could have become if they traded Dirk to the Los Angeles Lakers for Shaq.

"The 2004 trade sweepstakes for Shaquille O'Neal came down to two teams. He actually landed with the Miami Heat. The Dallas Mavericks were also in the mix. According to O'Neal himself, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was willing to give up anyone but Dirk Nowitzki to get a deal done. Apparently, that wasn't enough," Quinn wrote.

"Had he been willing to give up Dirk, though, quite a few things would have changed for the Mavericks. Most notably, their 2004 free-agent plans. In reality, they let Steve Nash walk to Phoenix. With O'Neal incoming, though, they wouldn't have needed to reserve money for another big man, Erick Dampier. So let's say they keep Nash to make life as easy on O'Neal as possible. Nash and O'Neal, in real life, finished first and second in 2005 MVP voting. The two of them, with a deep supporting cast, could have easily gone on to win the 2005 championship."

Mavs could have won championship with Shaq

While Shaq could have been the big man for the Mavs they needed, Dirk would have done pretty well with the Lakers as Kobe Bryant's co-star.

From 2005-10, either Nash, Nowitzki, or Bryant were in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers could have been even more dominant than they were, and perhaps they win another championship.

If Kobe won six championships, would he be on the same level as Michael Jordan? It's certainly possible.

There's a massive rabbit hole of possibilities with this potential move, so it's fun to look back and think of all the hypotheticals that could have happened.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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