The Los Angeles Lakers are the most iconic franchise in NBA history, but that doesn’t prevent them from having bad times.
The Purple and Gold had endured terrible seasons in the past 15 seasons or so, and the 2006 lineup was a big proof of that.
The 2006-07 season was another struggling one for the Lakers, who only had Kobe Bryant for showing. The Black Mamba was trying to lead his squad to win another championship, but it was pretty clear that he needed more help to lead the Purple and Gold back to the promised land.
However, things didn’t work that way for the team. They did make it to the playoffs with a 42-40 record only to be defeated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the postseason. The Suns easily beat the Lakers with a 4-1 win, once again sending them home after doing the same the prior season.
The Lakers ranked 5th in the league in points per game with 103.3, but they also were 25th in points allowed with 103.4. They had the 7th offensive rating in the league (108.6) and the 24th defending rating (108.6), making things hard for Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and fans attending the then-called Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant Wanted A Trade Away From Lakers After That Season
Kobe did as much as he could during that campaign, averaging 31.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game, shooting 86.8% from the free-throw line, 46.3% from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc.
Still, all his effort wasn’t enough to make a deep playoffs run and the Black Mamba ended up wanting out of the Lakers. In 2007, Kobe was reportedly close to joining the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks.
Out of these three teams, it seems like the Pistons had the biggest chance to land the Black Mamba, but Phil Jackson rejected the deal, keeping Kobe on the Lakers. This was a great decision as the Lakers would trade for Pau Gasol later, who would help them win two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010.
At the time, Kobe was really pissed at the Lakers, even saying he would ‘go play on Pluto’ if things didn’t change. In the end, the Lakers made a big move, landing another star big man that helped Kobe win more championships, and who recently had his jersey retired right beside Bryant’s.
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