ORLANDO -- Although he continues to stonewall specific questions about whether he intends to opt out of his contract this summer and become a free agent, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant dropped his strongest hint of the season Saturday that he has no intention of leaving the only franchise he has ever played for. On the eve of Game 5 in the NBA Finals, one win away from his first championship in seven years, Bryant was asked Saturday if he can imagine playing for anyone other than the Lakers next season."No" was Bryant's fast response, accompanied by one of his rare smiles in this series, as part of a media session that was by far his most relaxed and light-hearted in days. Bryant has two seasons and nearly $48 million left on the $136 million contract he signed in the summer of 2004, after the Lakers lost in the Finals to Detroit and then traded Shaquille O'Neal to Miami. But the contract contains an early termination option that would allow him to return to free agency on July 1 and a subsequent player option that would allow him to become a free agent after the 2009-10 season if he passes this time.
Yet it's believed that if Bryant chooses to exercise that option in either of the next two offseasons, it would merely be a step to ensure that his next long-term contract is signed under the terms of the NBA's current collective bargaining agreement, amid a growing sense around the league that owners will succeed in reducing contract lengths and maximum salary levels after the current labor agreement expires during the 2010-11 season. Unlike the summer of 2007, when Bryant issued multiple trade demands and was openly unhappy about the direction of the franchise until the February 2008 acquisition of Pau Gasol, his future has generated little media discussion this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment