Reactions To Kobe Bryant’s Extension
There are some trades and contracts that require black-and-white analysis, but Kobe Bryant‘s two-year, $48MM contract extension is not really one of those deals, writes Zach Lowe of Grantland. It’s a most unusual situation – Bryant is dealing with a level of health uncertainty he’s never faced before and he’ll be the highest-paid player in the league despite being nowhere near the best player in the league last season. Now, the Lakers’ dream of luring in two max-level stars is finished and they’ll be paper thin if they use their remaining cash on a max deal. Here’s more on Kobe and his new deal..
- Larry Coon of CBA FAQ says that if the Lakers follow through with their 2014 plan, keeping Pau Gasol will require him to take a steep discount. If they really go bare bones, they can create enough room for one max player, a player around the mid-level exception, and someone for the room mid-level exception of ~$2.7MM. This means letting free agents Gasol, Steve Blake, Jordan Farmar, Xavier Henry, Jordan Hill, Chris Kaman, and Jodie Meeks walk.
- Kobe is worth the $48MM deal and then some, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com says. A lot of that money amounts to a lifetime achievement award, but the idea of chasing a title with Bryant will be a major selling point for whoever they try and lure to L.A.
- The lucrative extension happened partially because of loyalty and was partially a risk on the Lakers’ part, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The deal means that Kobe now has the opportunity to go out as the highest paid player in the game and assures that he will play with only one franchise for his entire career, something that Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal could not do.
- The deal could cripple the Lakers’ chances of retooling the roster via the free-agent market, writes Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.
- Kobe took less than the max, but Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times wonders if he gave back enough cash.
- The Lakers are acting with heart and not logic in their new Kobe contract, writes Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins.
Lakers, Kobe Agree To Two-Year Extension
10:49am: Bryant’s extension will be worth $48MM over two years, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard (via Twitter). Shelburne tweets that the annual salaries will be $23.5MM in 2014/15 and $25MM in ’15/16. That should still leave the Lakers with enough room for a max free agent next summer, though it’ll be a tight fit.
10:43am: According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles (via Twitter), Kobe’s new deal will make him the highest-paid player in the NBA over the next two seasons. The exact figures still aren’t known, but according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), the extension will be worth between $40-50MM.
10:26am: The Lakers and Kobe Bryant have reached an agreement on a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will keep Kobe off the free agent market in 2014, extending his contract by two years, according to the team.
“This is a very happy day for Lakers fans and for the Lakers organization,” said GM Mitch Kupchak in a statement. “We’ve said all along that our priority and hope was to have Kobe finish his career as a Laker, and this should ensure that that happens.”
We heard in September that Bryant and the Lakers had yet to begun discussing an extension, but those negotiations were expected to happen at some point before Kobe’s contract expired. A month ago, executive VP Jim Buss vowed that the longtime Lakers star wouldn’t get to free agency, so the team made good on that promise.
When I examined Kobe as an extension candidate earlier this month, I predicted that he’d sign a two- or three-year extension at some point after he returned from his Achilles injury. The fact that the Lakers completed the deal before he appeared in a game this season suggests that the team believes he made a full recovery.
While Kobe would be eligible for a salary worth north of $32MM in the first year of his new deal, he almost certainly agreed to a pay cut from this year’s $30MM+ salary. The two-year contract will cut into the Lakers’ projected cap space for next summer, but depending on the annual cap hit for the extension, the club should still have plenty of room to pursue free agents.
Billy Hunter Accuses Derek Fisher Of Conspiring With NBA
Billy Hunter claimed that former players’ union president Derek Fisher conspired with the NBA on a 50-50 revenue split during the lockout, in a new court filing, tweets Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Hunter names Kobe Bryant as the source of this information, saying Bryant and agent Rob Pelinka called to say the veteran point guard had to cut a deal at a 50-50 split of revenues (link).
The court filing includes statements of support for Hunter from Theo Ratliff, Etan Thomas and Maurice Evans, who were executive members of the NBPA, saying that Fisher had secret dealings with the owners during the lockout of 2011 (Twitter link).
Hunter was ousted as executive director in February amid accusations of him misappropriating funds. The former union head was said to have given cushy jobs to to his daughter, daughter-in-law, and other people close to him while raking in a $3MM yearly salary. That salary was higher than union chiefs in the NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball and it appears that he raised it from $2.4MM without proper union consent.
Western Notes: Warriors, Bryant, Jazz
The West has been the stronger of the two conferences so far in the early going of the 2013/14 NBA season. There are nine teams above the .500 mark in the West compared to only three squads with winning records in the East. A conference chock full of winning teams is a recipe for intense and entertaining competition. Here are some notes regarding the West:
- Despite the injury to point guard Toney Douglas, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group hears from team sources that the Warriors are not expected to make a move to bolster their backcourt. Thompson reports that Kent Bazemore and Nemanja Nedovic will be given a chance to come off the bench and run the team’s offense in Douglas’ absence.
- There’s still no timetable for Kobe Bryant‘s return, tweets Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. The Lakers are paying Bryant over $30MM this season, a total almost $8MM greater than the next highest player on the list.
- The Knicks‘ decision to let Jeremy Lin walk away from the team after the 2011/12 season was a surprise to many, including Rockets GM Daryl Morey: “We didn’t really understand it, and we thought for sure that Lin was going to stay. I thought if any team knew what it had, it was going to be New York.” Harvey Araton of the New York Times breaks down New York’s choice not to match the Rockets’ offer sheet.
- Kenneth Faried declined to comment on the rumors implicating him as a possible early season trade candidate: “No comment on all of that. I just play basketball and do my job, and that’s it.” Faried had been linked to a potential trade with the Knicks‘ Iman Shumpert, but the Nuggets wanted more in return than New York had to offer. Read Christopher Dempsey’s full article about Faried at the Denver Post.
- Earlier tonight, Utah Jazz beat writer Jody Genessy revealed (via Twitter) that Diante Garrett was shopping at WalMart when he received the call offering him a spot on the Jazz. Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune provides further insight on Utah’s acquisition of the young guard and what it means for the team.
Odds & Ends: Expansion, Wizards, Turner
Even though the NBA has 30 franchises, there are still plenty of North American markets that are deserving of teams. Of course, Seattle is at the top of anyone’s list as the rabid Sonics fan base is starved for a new team. Kansas City has also made a strong case for an NBA club in years past and they already have a ~19K seat NBA-ready arena in the Sprint Center. However, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) says that the league is not going to expand under the current labor agreement. That might change under the new TV deal though, which is currently being worked on. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Speaking of expansion, commissioner David Stern told Chris Mannix of NBC Sports Radio (Twitter link) that the NFL will likely have a team in Europe before the NBA because “it’s relatively easy for a team to play eight home games there.” Stern has said in the past that he is optimistic that there will be a team in Europe in the not-too-distant future.
- Nene and new Wizards center Marcin Gortat have formed a bond in the front court, writes MIchael Lee of the Washington Post. “It’s one thing to have two skilled big men in the block. It’s another thing for those big men to play off each other, and that’s big,” forward Martell Webster said. “When you have big guys down there that have a relationship and a chemistry, it makes it a little bit easier to occupy.”
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld reflects on the four-team deal that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Magic last year. At the time, it seemed like the Lakers (Dwight Howard) or the Sixers (Andrew Bynum) would be the big winners, but it turns out that Orlando got the best haul of anyone.
- The price of winning in the NBA varies, writes Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. The 7-0 Pacers are doling out less than $853K per victory while the 2-4 Nets are paying $7MM for each win.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Mary Schmitt-Boyer of the Plain Dealer if the Cavs should give up on the Dion Waiters experiment and trade him. Even though the guard appears to have taken a step back from last season, Cleveland isn’t as down on him as some fans might be.
- While many thought that Sixers GM Sam Hinkie would either deal Evan Turner at the trade deadline or allow his $6.7MM salary to come off the cap next summer, the former No. 2 overall pick is making a case to stay, writes Thomas Moore of the Courier Times. Turner has been a model of consistency, scoring at least 20 points in six of the 4-3 Sixers’ first seven games. Earlier tonight, Sam Amico of FOX Sports suggested that the Mavericks, Thunder, and T’Wolves could be among the teams with interest if the Sixers decide to shop Turner.
- If the Knicks continue to lose, there’s no telling how owner James Dolan might react, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.
- Magic rookie Victor Oladipo is embracing the challenge of handling the basketball, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak doesn’t expect Kobe Bryant to return in the next two weeks, writes Pincus for the Los Angeles Times. Kupchak also touches on the ill-fated Chris Paul trade and says that he still hasn’t forgiven Stern for the way things played out.
Western Notes: Timberwolves, Pekovic, Rockets
Timberwolves GM Milt Newton is content with how the roles have worked themselves out on the roster: “I see our team already falling into knowing their roles and playing their roles, so that’s good to see. I’ve spoken to guys from other teams, and there’s a period that a lot of teams go through when they’re trying to figure out who is the go-to guy, who is the guy who’s going to get the most shots. We don’t seem to have that problem” (Charley Walters of TwinCities.com).
It doesn’t seem to be as easy of an adjustment for everybody, however. With Kevin Love‘s return to the lineup and Kevin Martin securing a major role within the team’s offense, Nikola Pekovic has been struggling to return to the niche he found on that side of the floor last season. Though Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune points out that Pekovic’s scoring average (11.0) and shooting percentage (38.9%) are significantly lower than last year (16.3 and 52%), the 6’11 center insists that he isn’t unhappy and is focused on trying to find other ways to help the team win games.
Here’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:
- Kevin Pelton of ESPN examines the Rockets’ offensive struggles while using a big lineup, and suggests that dealing Omer Asik for Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson or the Bucks’ Ersan Ilyasova would be ideal (Insiders only).
- Lakers star Kobe Bryant opened up about his health and Dwight Howard among other things in this video from Hoopsworld. Earlier this evening, Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles tweeted that Kobe had been sprinting as part of his rehab, but hasn’t begun any lateral/ cutting movement yet.
- As brilliant as the Clippers have been offensively, Eric Pincus of Hoopsworld gathers up some thoughts about their defensive struggles.
- Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram writes that the Mavericks have been able to develop chemistry by keeping the same starting five, which is worth noting considering that Rick Carlisle had shuffled through 23 different starting lineups last season.
Extension Candidate: Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant isn’t going anywhere. We haven’t seen him on an NBA court yet this fall, but the 15-time All-Star will play for the Lakers this season. And despite the fact that unrestricted free agency is looming in 2014, he’ll play for the Lakers beyond this season, assuming he wants to continue his career, which looks like a good bet.
The inevitably of Kobe remaining in Los Angeles removes a little of the drama from extension talks between him and the team, as well as from his looming free agency. But even if we’re 99% sure of what the end result will be, that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll get there smoothly. Kobe and the Lakers are in a unique situation right now, and negotiations between the two sides could proceed in any number of directions.
The first key factor to consider is Kobe’s health. Much has been written about how difficult it is for players to recapture their previous form following Achilles injuries, particularly players at Bryant’s age (35). And equally as much has been written about Kobe’s otherworldly drive and work ethic — in other words, if anyone can return from an Achilles tear without losing a step, the longtime Laker is a pretty good candidate. Still, the Lakers will likely hesitate to engage in serious discussions until the team sees that Kobe is once again healthy and productive.
Assuming that happens at some point before the spring, the next question is whether Kobe will sign an in-season extension or wait until free agency to ink a new deal. Lakers co-owner and executive VP Jim Buss recently vowed that his star wouldn’t become a free agent, and an extension would certainly have benefits for both sides. For Kobe, who is unlikely to sign for the full five years he could get as a free agent, adding two or three more years to his current contract seems reasonable, and it would allow him to avoid the uncertainty of the free agent period. For the Lakers, it would mean they wouldn’t have to negotiate with their franchise player next July at the same time the club hopes to negotiate with other marquee free agents.
Of course, the question that dwarfs the others involves – surprise! – money. Bryant is making an incredible $30,453,805 this season, a figure that won’t be matched by another player for years to come, due in part to the limitations of the new CBA. Kobe will be eligible for yet another raise, but it’s more likely we’ll see his salary start to head in the other direction. But how low will Kobe be willing to go?
In the summer of 2012, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett both hit free agency at age 36, the same birthday Kobe will celebrate next August. Duncan and Garnett were coming off salaries of $21MM+, significantly less than Bryant’s, but still figures that exceeded the maximum. On their new deals, Duncan and KG signed for annual salaries in the $10-12MM range, a pay cut of about 50% in both instances.
That sounds about right to me for Kobe, depending on how strong he looks coming off his Achilles rehab. Something in the neighborhood of $10-15MM per year would allow the Lakers to retain plenty of potential cap space to pursue other free agents. It also wouldn’t represent too massive a pay cut for Bryant, who has said he still intends to negotiate the best deal possible.
Eric Pincus and Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times suggested over the summer that perhaps Kobe and the Lakers could work out a deal that would see Bryant sign a one-year, minimum salary contract in 2014. Los Angeles would still hold Kobe’s Bird rights, meaning the club could sign him to a max-salary contract in 2015. The end result would still be an annual salary in the $10MM neighborhood for those two seasons, but his paltry ’14 salary would give the Lakers a ton of cap room to add free agents or make trades. Of course, this type of prearranged move technically isn’t allowed by the NBA, and it’s risky to assume that the Lakers could convince the league to allow it. After all, we saw the NBA shut down the idea of the Celtics and Clippers circumventing league rules this summer to allow both Garnett and Doc Rivers to move to L.A.
A more traditional contract is the likely outcome for Kobe and the Lakers, but how they arrive at that deal is still anyone’s guess. Here’s my guess: Bryant returns to the court this season and remains very effective, if not quite the same dominant scorer that he was before the injury. Sometime before next July, I expect the two sides to announce an extension that will keep Kobe under contract for two or three more seasons, at around $15MM annually. That looks to me like a fair middle ground between the Lakers having to keep Kobe’s $32MM cap hold on their books next July, or the former MVP being forced to accept a mid-level deal or worse.
As we’ve seen with Mike Brown, Mike D’Antoni, Phil Jackson, Dwight Howard, and others in L.A. over the last year and a half, things rarely play out that cleanly when it comes to the Lakers. Impending free agencies for LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony may draw more attention this season, but Kobe’s will be a fascinating case to watch.
Pacific Rumors: Bledsoe, Jimmer, Kobe, Frye
It’s been an unusually busy day for news out west, so we’re following up this morning’s round of Pacific rumors with a few afternoon updates. Here’s the latest:
- There are “no indications” that the Suns and Eric Bledsoe will reach an agreement on a contract extension before tonight’s deadline, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The two sides have until 11:00 pm CT to work something out.
- On the heels of reporting that the Kings won’t exercise Jimmer Fredette‘s 2014/15 option, Sam Amick of USA Today passes along a little more Jimmer news. According to Amick, about six teams have expressed some trade interest in Fredette. The Jazz aren’t one of those six, however.
- The highest-paid player in the NBA will receive most of his salary tomorrow, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, who says Kobe Bryant will be paid more than $24MM by the Lakers on November 1st.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports, writing for SBNation.com, suggests that extending Andrew Bogut for three years and $36MM+ represents an unnecessary risk for the Warriors. As Deeks notes, Golden State still could have extended Bogut in the spring, prior to free agency, which would have given the team another full season to evaluate the big man.
- In a separate piece for The Score, Deeks discusses the Suns/Wizards trade, writing that it’s the sort of deal that doesn’t necessarily have a winner or loser, since both teams got what they wanted. Deeks also points out that the Suns will have an “extremely logical” trade candidate in Channing Frye if he starts the season healthy and productive.
- The Kings won’t sign Greivis Vasquez or Patrick Patterson to a contract extension today.
Western Notes: Westbrook, Kobe, Carney, Rosas
There’s some auspicious news for the Thunder on opening night, as it appears Russell Westbrook could be back as early as two weeks from now, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Thunder originally projected he’d miss at least the first month of the season. Here’s more from the West:
- Kobe Bryant addressed extension talks with the Lakers during a Q-and-A session with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, indicating that discussions have yet to begin but will soon. Lakers co-owner Jim Buss said last week that negotiations had already begun.
- Bryant also told Spears that he hasn’t spoken to Carmelo Anthony about free agency next summer. A recent report suggested Anthony would be open to a recruiting pitch.
- Rodney Carney, fresh off a camp stint with the Pelicans, has signed to play in Puerto Rico with Capitanes de Arecibo, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia reports.
- It appears philosophical differences were at the root of Gersson Rosas‘ decision to resign as Mavs GM today, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, while Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram hears the Mavs shared the concerns Rosas had about the fit.
- Jazz CEO Greg Miller says he’s OK with the front office’s plan to endure a rough season this year as long as it helps move the team toward a title down the road, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune examines.
- Wolves camp invitee Othyus Jeffers is set to join the team’s D-League affiliate, while second-round pick Lorenzo Brown, whom the team also cut last week, will not, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
Jim Buss Promises Kobe Won’t Hit Free Agency
The Lakers are working toward an extension for Kobe Bryant, and co-owner and executive vice president Jim Buss tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that there’s no way the star two-guard will become a free agent this summer, when his current contract is set to expire. Bryant’s torn Achilles tendon has slowed the talks between GM Mitch Kupchak and agent Rob Pelinka, but Buss swears a deal will get done before July 1st.
“I want to put an end to any speculation that we would allow Kobe to become a free agent,” Buss said. “That’s not going to happen. Kobe is a top priority for us. He’s a Laker legend and always will be. I don’t think we’re done winning championships with him yet.”
A report in September indicated negotiations had not yet begun, so it appears the two sides have only recently begun to talk. Bryant said over the summer that he wasn’t keen on the idea of taking a significant paycut, and signing an extension, which would run no more than three years beyond his current deal’s expiration, would represent a sacrifice. Bryant could sign a record five-year deal with the Lakers for close to $184MM if he waited until he became a free agent in July, though such a contract would be unlikely given its size and the 35-year-old Bryant’s age.
Bryant could make slightly more per season if he signed a maximum-salary extension, but even that may be far-fetched, since that would entail a salary of more than $32.7MM next season. The talks may ultimately center around just how much less than the max Bryant is willing to take to allow the team to seek free agents with its ample projected cap space for this summer.
The timing of this pronouncement from Buss seems odd, since he told T.J. Simers of the Orange County Register on Thursday that he and Bryant had an understanding that Bryant would hit free agency.