In 2011, Chris Paul had almost joined Los Angeles Lakers to team up with Kobe Bryant. New Orleans had agreed on a three-team trade that involved Houston Rockets and the Lakers. But the league commissioner and the then New Orleans owner David Stern left many wondering why when he canceled the trade deal.

Nine years on, Chris Paul looks back at what might have been. In an appearance on the “Knuckleheads” podcast, Paul said he and Bryant had already talked about playing together when New Orleans canceled the deal.

“I was on the phone with my brother and my agent, and all that. We figuring out a plane to get to New Orleans to get us to LA … let’s just say my agent clicked over, said hold on, clicked over and then he came back on and he was like, stuttering. And we was hot. We was hot. Me and Kobe had talked, you know what I’m saying? We had talked already and all that. And it was a lot. It was a lot,” Paul said (H/T Silverscreen and Roll).

Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul could have formed a great partnership at Los Angeles Lakers

Paul and Bryant together would definitely have been a combination worth watching. It was a time when Paul was getting into his prime years. He had established himself as a star player. Kobe, likewise, was already a star man. A player who had just led his team to two consecutive championships.

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Paul eventually did move to the city of Los Angeles that year but to the Clippers. He made an immediate impact on the team bringing them to playoff contention. He remained at Clippers till 2017 when he moved to Houston Rockets in a trade deal that saw the Rockets give away seven players and a draft pick. Then, he moved to Oklahoma City Thunder last summer and is currently getting ready for the league’s restart.

As for the Lakers, the canceled trade deal meant that they would go into one of the worst phases in their history. The Lakers are yet to win a championship since 2010. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis currently in the side, they are looking to good to compete for the title this season.