Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak would consider prolonging Kobe Bryant’s contract depending on circumstances

"MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 14: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers waves to the crowd after passing Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list with a free throw in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 14, 2014 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)"

“MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 14: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers waves to the crowd after passing Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list with a free throw in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 14, 2014 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)”

It was a little more than a week ago when Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak offered a pretty clear signal on anyone planning to watch Kobe Bryant play in person.

“If you’re looking to buy tickets three years from now, I would buy tickets now.”
Kupchak told the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.

Kupchak has repeated different variations of that quote in subsequent interviews, including appearances on Monday with both ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd and SiriusXM NBA Radio with Justin Termine and former NBA coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. But even if Kupchak maintained his belief that Bryant will retire once his $48.5 million contract ends following the 2015-16 season, Kupchak said he would consider seeing if Bryant wanted to extend his career under specific circumstances.

“If he’s playing at a high level and we were able to put our team together with some vision, in other words, have cap space to acquire players that help us going forward and help us win right away, I don’t know why we would not consider bringing Kobe back,” Kupchak told Cowherd. “I don’t think in two years, if he looks at our roster and says I can’t win with this roster, I don’t think he’s going to want to play and lose 40-50 games. If the roster is attractive and we’ve got some young players or some veteran players that he feels will allow him to wake up in the morning and say listen, I wan to go to practice and I want to play tonight, then I think that’s something he would consider.”

Lakers coach Byron Scott first brought up two weeks ago in Washington D.C. that he hoped the 36-year-old Bryant would extend his career because of his prolific play and his confidence that the Lakers’ front office could upgrade their roster quickly enough to contend for an NBA championship. Kupchak declined to comment on that hypothetical and if he would talk with Bryant about extending his career as the end of his contract nears.

Kupchak sounded more open about those scenarios in his radio appearances.

“I hope he plays forever,” Kupchak said on Sirius XM NBA Radio. “But nothing lasts forever and he’s 36 [years old]. When he signed this deal, although it wasn’t discussed in great detail, the assumption that at 36, two more years at 38, you’re probably at the end. I don’t think he needs a bad year to decide he can’t play anymore. I think in his mind he’ll go year to year. He may have a good year next year and then just say, ‘Hey listen, enough is enough. He is more sore than ever. He has a lot of ice on him after practice and after games. He talks about it a little bit more than he did in the past.”

Kupchak addressed a wide range of topics.

He continuously stressed the Lakers do not believe in tanking and that they only order their players and coaching staff to win. Kupchak expressed confidence in owner Jeanie Buss and executive Jim Buss in leading the team for the past 22 months since the passing of late owner Jerry Buss. Kupchak downplayed concerns about the whereabouts of injured veteran guard Steve Nash, who has had breakfast with Kupchak and has been given permission from the team to have an extended leave of absence. Kupchak said Time Warner Cable SportsNet does not have any influence on how the Lakers assemble their roster. Kupchak said he will be “proactive” leading into the NBA’s Feb. 19, 2015 trade deadline. He praised Bryant for recently surpassing Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Kupchak also addressed an issue that he said was “blown out of proportion.” That entailed Bryant’s recent trashing talking on practice last Thursday. After a heated 5-o-5 scrimmage ended, Bryant passed Kupchak and yelled, “I’m supposed to practice and get better, Mitch. I’m supposed to practice and get better. These [expletive] ain’t doing [expletive] for me.”

“I wrote it off as something that purely goes on in our practice every day,” Kupchak told Cowherd. “Now the next day we played San Antonio and, of course, the story blew up and it was a big deal. I think Kobe admitted that maybe it was a little edgy even for him. But we played really well and the guys responded. So take it as you may. I didn’t think it was that big a deal. But if you’re going to play with Kobe and you’re going to practice with him, then you better be ready to compete.”

Kupchak also suggested that Bryant and teammates increased their trash talking once the media was let in to view the last few minutes of practice.

“It got a little louder. I don’t know if that was in response to an audience,” Kupchak told SiriusXM NBA Radio. “Certainly I had nothing to do with it. I was there for the whole practice. But it did get a little louder with what the audience clearly captured on video or audio.”

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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