Contract Decisions for Kobe

All of the focus has been on Andrew Bynum’s contract status recently, but Kobe Bryant will also be making some contract decisions after this season. Bryant will be financially secure no matter what option he chooses, and there are a lot on the table. He stands to earn $21.3 million this season, after which he will have two years left on his Lakers contract for an additional $47.8 million. One possible option for Bryant, although it is unlikely that he will choose it, would be to play out the remaining years on his contract and become a free agent in July 2011, at which he would by 33-years-old (and want end-of-career job security).

What is more likely to happen would be for Bryant to terminate his contract next July and become an unrestricted free agent, which would enable him to sign with and NBA team for up to five years. At that point other teams in the NBA could offer about $129.5 million over five years, while the Lakers could offer Bryant about $135 million over the same time period. Bryant could also sign a four-year contract with the Lakers worth $112 million (with an average yearly salary of $28 million), or $1 million more per year than if her terminated his contract for after this season. The Lakers want to keep Kobe in the fold and he is entering his 13th season with the team.

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Posted in General on October 24, 2008

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