Coach indicates deal is unlikely because Lakers wouldn’t get anything close to equal value, ‘like giving up a diamond for some garnets.’
L.A. Times: The trade deadline is almost two months away, but Coach Phil Jackson doesn’t see Kobe Bryant going anywhere, the strongest such statement by a Lakers official that their top player will still be theirs at season’s end.
“There just [aren't] any comparable situations,” Jackson said. “It’s like giving up a diamond for some garnets, whatever, I don’t know.”
The trade deadline is Feb. 21.
Jackson also chuckled at Bryant’s revelation Saturday to reporters that the Knicks were one of the teams on his destination list during the off-season.
“He was just being kind,” Jackson said. “That wasn’t a serious issue.”
Down the road, however, Jackson acknowledged that Bryant could terminate his contract after next season, which would leave two years and $47.8 million on the table but would make him a free agent.
“His contract has an option,” Jackson said. “There’s an actual situation that evolves for him.”
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