NBA Rumors: Lakers To Trade Kobe Bryant To Knicks?
By Marcus Bass
First, I just want to give myself credit and say I called the day we’d discuss the possibility of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant being on the trade market … 19 weeks ago.
Now that I’m done tooting my own horn, I’ll proceed in baking your noodle. The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t very good right now. It’s no secret, and while Kobe Bryant is back to being the Mamba without much physical limitations, the Lakers continue to limp on.
It’s clear Bryant is the only championship caliber player on the Lakers at the moment, and that small fact has led some to believe that he’ll be moved via trade.
ESPN’s Chad Ford suggests that Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers executives should “take a page out of Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie’s playbook and let his team slide into oblivion this season”. According to Ford:
"The final option is for the Lakers to convince Bryant to waive his no-trade clause and let the team trade him. If Bryant can show over the next month or so that he’s healthy, several teams that are trying to compete for titles could show interest.A reunion with Phil Jackson in New York would be especially possible, and a trade that netted the Lakers young players like Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. along with a 2015 first-round pick and a big expiring salary like Amar’e Stoudemire‘s or Andrea Bargnani‘s could meet the Lakers’ needs."
Outside of the one instance Bryant threatened to walk across the hall and put on the Los Angeles Clippers uniform, he’s been a die-hard Lakers representative. However, Bryant has been visibly frustrated, and can you blame him?
He worked his way back from an Achilles tendon rupture, took over a third of the Lakers cap in salary and for some reason can’t get the help needed to take a shot at winning his sixth ring. Go figure.
These day’s it seems everything’s catching up to Kobe … athleticism, defenders and reality. While Bryant is coming to grips with the fact that he won’t win another championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s turned his attention to finding a worthy successor to rule on his Lakers throne post retirement.
Failing to find not many that measure up to Bryant’s standards and few that are willing to, what remains is the possibility of a trade that clears cap space for the Lakers while delivering considerable young assets. In the Lakers and Bryant’s less than stellar situation, it’s a way for the superstar guard to send his beloved franchise off properly.
With Kobe’s colossal sized salary off the books, and the majority of assets traded for him falling off the following season, the Lakers would be in prime position to fuel their rebuild. Taking Ford’s trade into consideration, the Lakers would likely only keep Shumpert and Hardaway in the proposed scenario.
In addition to receiving Julius Randle back from injury (possibly later this season), the Lakers would still have Jordan Clarkson and with Shumpert, Hardaway and enough cash to make a run at a pair of young, talented free agents. In essence the Lakers could seriously spin this situation.
Their draft situation isn’t too shabby either. The Lakers currently owe a first-round lottery protected pick to the Houston Rockets, are owed a second-round top-40 protected pick from Orlando, in addition to a first-round lottery protected pick in 2015 from the Houston Rockets.
Last the Lakers owe a first-rounder, top-five protected, pick to the Phoenix Suns (Steve Nash deal) and are owed a second-round pick in the 51 to 55 range from the Los Angeles Clippers.
But why would the Knicks be eager to deal away assets for Kobe’s giant contract and chronological unattractiveness? First and foremost, the Knicks triangle offense (if you prefer to call it that) has looked god-awful.
While adding Bryant doesn’t ensure an NBA championship, it does place another triangle offense mentor in New York capable of further teaching Carmelo Anthony how to be dominant in it. So far the Knicks triangle has looked more like a Melo iso.
Even former Lakers forward Rick Fox believed Kobe would be willing to move on to greater contention pastures.
"Fox said, “I would not put it past him,” in a recent interview with Larry King. “If there isn’t a real opportunity for [Bryant] to win a championship there, the thought of him leaving may shock Lakers fans, but I wouldn’t put it past him going in search of one or two more championships. Personally, I think it’s going to get done in New York. I really do. I just believe in Phil (Jackson). I’ve been around him. I know Kobe has had his greatest success with Phil in a leadership capacity. So the reuniting of the two is not an unrealistic thought.”"
Leaving the Lakers at their most desperate time would seriously hurt Bryant’s reputation, however if there’s one player in the league who’s not bothered by a tarnished rep it’s Bryant. He hasn’t publicly stated any interest in moving on to another squad, however he hasn’t thrown out the idea either.
There’s a few legacy issues at stake here and the one which keeps Kobe in a Lakers uniform is putting in 20 years with the same squad — the longest tenure of any NBA player, ever.
Kobe Bryant won’t be in any other jersey aside from a Lakers uni for the duration of his career. Period.