Kobe Bryant and Mitch Kupchak are on the same page.
It’s just not the page you think.
All along it’s been assumed the Los Angeles Lakers would be rabid free-agency players this summer, trying to make the most of Kobe’s fast-fading twilight by throwing money every which way at players of note. While they’ll still probably do this to an extent, it will not be to the degree of desperation.
And that’s OK with Kobe.
Per the Los Angeles Daily News‘ Mark Medina:
“I’ll be ready to go,” Bryant said in an interview with Los Angeles Newspaper Group. “I’ll do my regiment and be ready to go.”
How quickly the Lakers rebuild does not just involve both Bryant’s recovery and performances. It also entails how well they build a supporting cast around him.
Yet, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak recently said he will not squander the team’s financial flexibility and youth for more established veterans just to strengthen Bryant’s chances of securing his sixth NBA championship in what might mark his final NBA season. When relayed about Kupchak’s strategy, Bryant repeatedly nodded his head to convey support and understanding.
“It’s a balance of both,” Bryant said. “You always want to set the franchise up for the long term. Mitch and I are on the same page. What he said in the interview is not something that we haven’t talked about before. It’s nothing different. You don’t want to compromise the future of the franchise for one season. You try to balance that.”
Is this basically Kobe submitting to another lost season? One could certainly argue that, what with the free-agent pool thinning by the day.
LaMarcus Aldridge is a long shot to leave the Portland Trail Blazers…as in it’s not happening; Goran Dragic isn’t likely abandoning the Miami Heat; Wesley Matthews isn’t as attractive an option after tearing his left Achilles; Rajon Rondo, while obtainable, is no longer a superstar and his skill set at the point guard position is obsolete; and Kevin Love isn’t a true flight risk unless the Cleveland Cavaliers flame out in the first round of the playoffs…as in he’s not leaving.
Marc Gasol may be the most gettable of any superstar on the market, enormous emphasis on the word may. Playing for the Memphis Grizzlies is a cushy gig. He’s comfortable there, and the Grizzlies are winning. If he’s going to leave, you have to imagine he’ll join a bona fide contender, sync up with the San Antonio Spurs or sign with a rebuilding team that actually employs a superstar in his prime.
That really hamstrings the Lakers’ splash factor this offseason. There’s a strong chance their primary targets won’t sign with them, at which point it doesn’t appear they’ll go after long-term consolation prizes and will instead preserve cap space for the summer of 2016.
And that brings us back to the elephantine-sized question in the room: Is Kobe truly fine with the Lakers’ planned restraint and potentially ending his career on a team playing for nothing, or is this perhaps a sign of something else—a harbinger that his career won’t end after next season?
Chew on that for a while—like, until, mid-July, when we’ll be closer to knowing the answer.
