Lakers extend Mitch Kupchak to multi-year deal

The Lakers have plenty of unanswered questions, ranging from Mike D’Antoni’s coaching status, who they will draft with their first-round pick and whether Kobe Bryant will ever fully recover from his fractured left knee.

But the Lakers took care of one issue that they hope will prove an instrumental part of their rebuilding. They signed Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak to a multi-year deal, a move made to ensure he wouldn’t enter lame-duck status next season in the final year of his contract.

Kupchak has overseen four NBA championships since succeeding Jerry West as the Lakers’ general manager for the 14 years. He has served an executive role since retiring as a player in 1986.

With the Lakers’ 145-130 loss Tuesday to the Houston Rockets at Staples Center ensuring they will finish with the worst season in franchise history since moving to Los Angeles 54 years ago, Kupchak’s extension reflects the Lakers’ trust he will help restore the team back to championship prominence.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com