Everything about Kobe Bryant is polarizing. Why should his contract extension be any different?
This is not to say that locking up the Los Angeles Lakers' superstar was a
"This wasn't a negotiation," Bryant told Yahoo! Sports. "The Lakers made their offer with cap and building a great team in mind while still taking care of me as a player. I simply agreed to the offer."
Bryant stays with the only team he has known as a professional while retaining his status as the league's highest-paid player. He also locks in his value before returning to the court, eliminating any possibility of an Achilles-related setback or loss of athleticism hurting his earning potential.
And in doing so, he willingly absorbed a 23 percent pay cut.
Still, the extension is not without adverse consequences. It is no secret that Bryant, 35, wants a sixth and even a seventh ring before he retires, but this extension takes him farther from that goal. While the Lakers will be able to afford one top-tier free agent next summer -- and that free agent must want to go to L.A. -- it will have little additional spending power to bring in the necessary pieces that would return the team to championship contention. Worse, signing a top-tier player means the Lakers likely will have to say goodbye to current mainstays like Pau Gasol.