didnt we get shaq the same year we got kobe?
Kobe was in the cards BEFORE Shaq.
West had Mutumbo and one of the Davis's (Anotnio or Dale, I forget which) as his backup plan.
So, on the "official" side, Shaq signed with LA on July 18, 1996.
The Draft as you all know is late June. June 26th 1996. The actual trade of Kobe couldn't take place til July 1 however.
West knew he had Shaq in the bag (per Shaq's word) and that's how he completed the Divac deal to get Kobe, but Kobe's workout came before he had word from O'Neal that he was coming. Hence, West had Davis's agent already on the way to a hotel to sign a contract with LA before Shaq gave Jerry his word that he would sign.
West was bringing in Kobe regardless, he just didn't know if Shaq was coming, or it would be Mutumbo and Davis. (I need to freakin figure out which Davis it was. I think it was Antonio, lookin at both their salaries on Reference, Antonio's jumps up that year, Dale's was a year before Shaq/Kobe)
So without Shaq, it would have been
Mutumbo, Antonio Davis, Kobe, Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Fisher, Elden Campbell, Cedric Ceballos, Byron Scott, Jerome Kersey, Travis Knight and they later added Robert Horry in January. Rick Fox came the following year.
