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http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-could-kobe-bryant-minimum-contract-lakers-20130710,0,3758038.story

Could Kobe Bryant take a minimum contract in 2014 to help Lakers?

Kobe Bryant has long maintained that winning a title is his only goal for each and every season. The All-Star guard has talked about playing at least three more years, to pad his "ring count."

Would he be willing to take a pay cut, like Tim Duncan did for the San Antonio Spurs or Kevin Garnett for the Boston Celtics -- both taking less than half of their maximum salaries?


(See rest of article at link)

@EricPincus

If Kobe is going to return at the (average) $10.5 million in salary a year - like KG/TD (roughly) then better to do minimum 1 year, then max.


@EricPincus

It just takes a leap of faith from Kobe to trust that the Lakers would offer him 2-year max after 1-year at min - can't be promised

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@EricPincus

It opens up a door for the door for the Lakers to have 4 Max players (inc Kobe) by 2015 /16 season


@EricPincus

It's not like Kobe becomes a min player for the rest of his career-makes similar move as KG/TD - just more creatively

My first reaction was HECK NAH he wouldn't but the logic is there to help field an even better team around him.. Thoughts from Mr. Pincus article?

considering the FA lineup, i rather he take 15 million the first year and the minimum the second year.

I think he'd do it but only if we had a deal in place for a big name or 2... Like if Melo did in fact agree to come here, or something... I think it's hard to leave money on the table that you know you could make if you negotiated for it. And I think Kobe has shown in the past that he's all business when it comes to the financial side of things...

Let's see how he does this season... He may only be WORTH 10M or so...

We'll he's made over $200mill in his career. I think at this point rings are his main goal. I remember hearing Rick Fox on 710 ESPN Radio saying back when Kobe was a rookie he told his teammates his main goal was to win 10 rings (besides being the greatest ever) . He's halfway there lol

I can see him doing 10M like Timmy. But I don't think he will take anything less than that. Even taking 10M, the FO should still have enough to sign 2 nearly max contracts.

Kobe said when he was introduced to the press in 96 his goal was to play in 10 finals and for a chance at 10 rings, that was a a 17-18 year olds goal and people balked at the time. He needs 3 more trips

i dont think he'll take a paycut. but if i were him, i'd only do it if there was a verbal commitment from 1 or 2 key players like lebron/durant/melo/paul/rondo/rose or the likes.

I think he will. He has to if he wants decent players around him to win the 6th title.

Kobe can't relinquish the thought of not being "the guy" therefore he would want to be compensated. No way he takes less then 10 mill

stunnar0b wrote:Kobe can't relinquish the thought of not being "the guy" therefore he would want to be compensated. No way he takes less then 10 mill

i don't know about that,but about the money part , I mean he's already made so much money in his career,let alone this coming season he's set to make a lil over $30million..I mean is 30 mil in one year not enough for kobe to survive to the point where he will need another contract that is around 10 mil?it sounds absurd that he would need more than the vets min next year.hes been my favorite player in my life,but 2014 is going to be big for us and we will need all the money we can to spend on top tier players.i really hope he and pau return next year with similar contacts maybe around $5-8 million

if Kobe did this could u imagine a actual possible starting lineup by 2015 of


Kobe
Melo
Lebron or Klove (following year)
Pau

LMAOOOOO now thats just STUPIDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

That would hardly pay for the Mamba chopper alone.

like the vet's min? how much is that?

that would be an insanely large paycut, one i don't really seen happening

hermes wrote:like the vet's min? how much is that?

that would be an insanely large paycut, one i don't really seen happening

i don't see it happening either but what I meant was it would be smart if he wants that 6th ring

I think he can still win the 6th even if he has a big contract,just better chance if he takes less so we can get more

Kobe would take $10 million a year if he gets the pieces around him he needs... I am telling you the '15 class is deeper... K Love is a better complement than Melo...

TruSkool wrote:i dont think he'll take a paycut. but if i were him, i'd only do it if there was a verbal commitment from 1 or 2 key players like lebron/durant/melo/paul/rondo/rose or the likes.

being that Kobe seems to a brutally honest realist I'm sure he'll settle on management snatching love/Alridge, Irving, Paul George as well. But honestly, one thing overlooked in all this is what Dallas will do if they start the season out of playoff contention and approach the Allstar break-- and trade deadline playoff hopes already dashed and the virtually eliminated mathematically speaking as well.

If this happened simultaneously at a Time the lakers somehow, to the surprise of many, finds themselves sitting in the 4th or 6th seed needing into the Allstar break, would that give us a real shot at nabbing dirk from Dallas in a move similar to what Boston did with kg and piece by sending them to Brooklyn 10 cents on the dollar? What do you guys think?

can he just retire then

http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-news ... nt-page-1/

Dwight Howard’s departure left Lakers fans wondering what the future of the Lakers would entail. With the Lakers signing one-year veteran minimum deals this offseason, it’s accurate to say that the Lakers are preparing for rebuilding mode in 2014. There’s one big problem. Would Kobe Bryant be willing to take a huge pay cut, possibly a one-year minimum salary worth $1.45 million, the ultimate financial sacrifice, to give the Lakers the best chance to rebuild?

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Not so fast. Kobe bleeds purple and gold, but he’s also a very smart businessman.

“I’m not taking any at all – that’s the negotiation that you have to have.” Kobe Bryant told Lakers Nation in an exclusive interview at his Kobe Basketball Academy on Wednesday. “For me to sit here and say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m just going to take a huge pay cut. Nah, I’m going to try to get as much as I possibly can.”

If you were hoping Kobe would think about taking a minimum salary in 2014, think again. Both Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are examples of veterans who sacrificed more than half their salaries for their teams, but Kobe is a different breed – a financially savvy individual. Bryant also said the business side is always “strange” and “uncomfortable” for athletes, who find themselves in situations where they will get “backlashed, inevitably.”

Bryant though, isn’t afraid of the backlash, and he never has been. Both on and off the court, where others find themselves uncomfortable, Kobe thrives.

At the moment, Steve Nash is the only player on the books for the 2014-2015 season of rebuilding. A maximum salary for Bryant ($32 million) would not leave the Lakers with the necessary financial tools to truly rebuild, especially with potential free agents like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony available in one year’s time.

Don’t count out the idea of Kobe taking a pay cut, just don’t expect it to be as big as you were hoping.

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