The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a disappointing start this season, creating speculation that superstar Kobe Bryant will soon lose his patience and ask for a trade before the deadline in February.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel started that the trade rumors about Bryant, saying that the Lakers should consider moving the 16-time All-Star to the New York Knicks.
While the Knicks are not expected to win the title this year, Bryant will likely agree to the move because it would reunite him with former coach Phil Jackson and former teammate Derek Fisher, the new head coach of the Knicks.
"I thought this even before the Lakers' staggering start - and I think it even more now: They should trade Kobe Bryant," Schmitz wrote. "Trade him to the New York Knicks, back into the loving arms of Phil Jackson and the triangle offense, now featuring Carmelo Anthony."
According to Chad Ford of ESPN, trading Bryant to the Knicks would make sense for the Lakers because they could get young talents like Iman Shumpert, Tim Hardaway or a future first-round pick in the deal.
The Lakers could also get the huge expiring contracts of either Amar'e Stoudemire or Andrea Bargnani, which would put them in a good position to make a splash on the free agency market after the current season.
However, it is unclear at this point whether or not Jackson and the Knicks will be open to absorbing Bryant in their lineup, considering the fact that the 36-year-old superstar is set to earn $48.5 million until after the 2015-16 NBA season.
Taking Bryant's contract would hurt their chances of acquiring a big-name free agent next summer where they are expected to target superstars like Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics and Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Bryant, who averaged 24.8 points to go along with 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in their first four games this season, also said in a recent interview with Yahoo Sports that he is not thinking of asking for a trade despite the tough situation that he is in at this point of his career.
"I hear the chatter of Kobe should ask out and he should go and play for a contender in this latter stage of his career," Bryant said. "But that's not what I do. I'm extremely loyal to the Lakers."
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