Just a few days after Lakers owner Jerry Buss said that he was willing to listen to trade offers for Kobe Bryant, the superstar had to deny reports that he had cleaned out his locker and that he had told Lakers personnel that he had played his final game for the team.
I got into a debate with my buddy (JC, a big Lakers fan) last night over the definition of the term “trading block.” He doesn’t think that Bryant is on the trading block, but I think he most definitely is.
After Kobe’s eruption more than four months ago, the Lakers said that they were not interested in trading Bryant. Those who need to get caught up on the chronology of the Kobe/Laker relationship should check out my column from early June. Anyway, for his part, Kobe was very quiet about his previous trade demands and acted as if he didn’t want to be a distraction for his team. (Though missing practice with an undefined “leg injury” doesn’t help.) Now the owner has shifted position, saying that he is willing to listen to offers for his unhappy superstar. That public statement is essentially an invitation for teams to start making offers. They are not necessarily trying to get rid of Bryant, nor are they going to give him away, but he’s certainly available in trade scenarios and that means he’s on the trading block.
Kobe has reportedly told people in his circle that Dallas is his #1 destination. He has a no-trade clause in his contract so he can veto any deal that doesn’t meet his approval. To a certain point, he holds the power because he can make life miserable for the Lakers until they agree to trade him. Normally, the Lakers wouldn’t trade him to a Western Conference team, but they may not have much of a choice.
Keep an eye on the Bulls. They have the pieces (Luol Deng plus Ben Gordon?) that might entice the Lakers to pull the trigger. The problem there is that Deng and Gordon are still on their rookie contracts, so salaries aren’t balanced in the trade and a third team would have to be involved. The Lakers will want to get a young All-Star (or two) and maybe a draft pick (or two) for Bryant. With the regular season less than two weeks away, it’s going to be really interesting to see if Kobe has indeed played his last game as a Laker.
What do you think? Do the Lakers trade him before the season? In season? Next summer?
