Big Stuff happening in LA.
Gary Payton and Derek Fisher could follow Bryant and Malone and opt out of their deals. However, Payton reportedly is less likely to leave now that Jackson is going and Fisher seems to be having trouble deciding.
General manager Mitch Kupchak made clear the team's priorities Thursday when he said the Lakers would do anything they need to keep Bryant and would try to accommodate O'Neal if he demands a trade.
Apparently upset over Kupchak's remarks, O'Neal canceled his exit interview on Friday. O'Neal, who has been one of Jackson's biggest supporters, is under contract for two more years but could opt out after next season.
"When I was brought here by Jerry West, there was a team concept. ... It was something I wanted to be a part of," the Times quoted O'Neal on its Web site Friday night. "Now no one cares. I told you I'm all about winning championships. Now the organization is different. It seems right now they're trying to pit one person against another."
Kupchak said the Lakers will offer Bryant the maximum allowed -- seven years and more than $140 million. That's a lot more money and one year longer than any other team can offer.
Aaron Goodwin, Payton's agent, told ESPN's David Aldridge late Friday night that Jackson's departure makes it likely that his client will not opt out of his contract after all. Payton has until next week to decide whether to forgo the second year of his deal, which would pay him $5.4 million, and become a free agent.
Goodwin told Aldridge in a telephone interview that Jackson's departure -- because it means the likely demise of the triangle offense -- would make Payton more amenable to staying in Los Angeles. Payton made no secret of his dislike of the triangle throughout the season. His frustrations seemed to crest during the Finals, when he had little opportunity to attack Detroit guard Chauncey Billups -- who ultimately was named the Finals' Most Valuable Player.
O'Neal's stated desire for a trade could tip the scales back toward leaving for Payton, however.
"This whole Shaquille O'Neal thing becomes a different situation," Goodwin told Aldridge, "because Shaq was the one who recruited Gary to come there. And Karl [Malone] too, for that matter."
Goodwin did not say whether Payton would still want to remain with the team if O'Neal were traded.
"They've got to let the swelling go down," Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, said Friday. "The Lakers have so many other issues going on, it's probably good for Karl to sit back and see what's going on before he decides what he's going to do."
"There's no question the Lakers would love to have me back. I would love to be back. Hopefully we can find some common ground. Business is business."
Business is business...yeah, business is business. Let's see if the Lakers can do business without Jerry.
, he and Riley are definetly on the top of my list.
