NBA Rumors: Mavericks Could Have Won Another Title If O’Neal Trade Went Down In 2004

KEY POINTS

Mavs owner admits O'Neal was egging him to take him in
Lakers wanted only Nowitzki in exchange for O'Neal from the Mavs
O'Neal could have turned the Mavs into perennial finals contenders

The Dallas Mavericks's lone championship came in 2011. There could have been more had team owner Mark Cuban taken in key players before that.

One name that has cropped up is Shaquille O’Neal who was then being shopped by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Each time a rumored trade involving O’Neal's name pops up in the press, most will easily associate it with that popular feud that broke out between the 7-foot-1 and the late Kobe Bryant. It was one of the forgettable moments for the purple and gold although a roster rebuild was necessary.

O’Neal was 32-years-old at that time and still considered a force to reckon with inside the pain. But the Lakers’ management knew that if they wanted more NBA crowns, they had to stick with the younger of the two–Bryant.

Hence, O’Neal ended up getting traded to the Miami Heat where he combined with Dwyane Wade, NBA.com reported.

This partnership produced a title-clinching season in 2006 for the Heat. From there, the 2000 NBA Most Valuable Player’s performance slowly declined.

Though that stint with the Heat is memorable, O’Neal’s preferred next stop after the Lakers was the Mavericks. The four-time NBA champion had pushed for a move to Dallas and Cuban was open to trading for him for as long as it did not involve Dirk Nowitzki.

“Shaq would get a hold of me all the time, ‘Come and get me, come and get me, come and get me. Why haven’t you got me yet?’ every time I saw him,” Cuban said on the possibility of getting O’Neal when he appeared on FS1’s Fair Game with Kristine Leah.

Of course, Cuban was too wise for that and was not willing to give up Nowitzki to the Lakers at the time. The German was the only player that Los Angeles wanted in exchange for Shaq, dashing all hopes of any deal getting done.

Though it was a wasted opportunity, that decision was justified. The Mavericks entered the Promised Land in 2011.

However, most couldn't help but ponder on the number of trophies that Dallas could have won with O’Neal in the rotation.