Friday, February 22nd, 2013 at 2:55 pm  |  90 responses

Mark Cuban Wonders if the Lakers Should Amnesty Kobe Bryant


There’s very little that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban enjoys more than messing with the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans. When discussing the Lakers’ enormous payroll, Cuban wondered aloud if the team would be better off by cutting ties with Kobe Bryant and his massive salary. That’s master trolling, friends. Per ESPN: “If you look at their payroll, even if Dwight (Howard) comes back, you’ve got to ask the question: Should they amnesty Kobe?’ Cuban said. Cut ties with Kobe Bryant to cut costs?! That sounds crazy, but the Lakers are looking at ridiculous luxury tax bills if they don’t do something drastic to reduce their payroll, which is slightly more than $100 million this season and will probably be in that same range next season if Howard re-signs. This is the last season of a dollar-for-dollar penalty for teams over the luxury tax limit ($70.307 this season). Beginning next season, the luxury tax escalates for every $5 million a team is over. If the Lakers are $30 million over, their luxury tax bill would be a whopping $142.5 million next season. If L.A. trims the payroll down to $20 million over the tax, the Lakers would still get hit with a $75 million bill. And they’d be subject to the even heavier repeater rate in 2014-15, although Steve Nash’s $9.7 million salary is the only contract currently on the Lakers’ books for that year. Bryant is on the books for a league-high $30.45 million salary next season, the last year of his contract. [...] ‘So I’m just saying that hypothetically. When I say amnesty Kobe, I don’t think they’d do it, but they’ve got some choices to make. Now, they’re in a big market, but they’re still limited. The Knicks, the same thing. Boston, same thing.’”

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  • anon

    “The bank of cuban is open!”. HAHAHAHA

  • KingBenjamin

    Mark Cuban is an idiot.

  • http://www.facebook.com/timothyhedden Timothy Hedden

    maybe but what he is saying makes sense. A lot of bloated teams are going to get hammered on the repeater tax

  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Sanchez

    LA would riot if this happens lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/jhemp15 Jamar Hemphill

    Cuban is always showing his hand too soon! A real boss moves in silence! Rumors will happen no matter what, but he shouldn’t be the one sparking them. Just shut up & take care of business!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=509819249 Gaurav P.

    The Lakers won’t do it simply for the bank he brings in with each game. He’s clearly not the player he used to be, but you bet your a*ss in possibly his LAST season in the NBA, almost every game at Staples is going to be sold out.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Junior-Taylor/100003121138419 Junior Taylor

    Cuban is only saying this so that he can backdoor the Lakers and snatch up Kobe after they amnesty him.

  • http://twitter.com/niQknacks niQ

    Nice try Cuban.

  • #13

    Right Kobe even at his age is still a box office athlete

  • dannyb

    I know NOBODY is going to agree with this, but I actually think they’d be a better team without Kobe. Nash with the ball in his hands, lobbing to Dwight and Pau. I think it would give them better chemistry.

  • jay taylor

    yea ur out of ur mind…have u seen nash play this year? a 39 year old pg who can’t guard anyone …smh some of u laker fans are dumb as fuk

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    even with Kobe’s albatross contract, he’s tradeable. which IS what i would consider.

  • pposse

    if kobe ever got amnestied his legacy will be permanently scarred

  • mp7three

    There is a reason why Dr Buss was beloved and an idiot like Cuban isnt. Aint all about numbers & business. Cuban is causing more noise because his team isnt. He wouldnt trade or amnesty Dirk and he knows Kobe is even more important to his city & the team itself.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Junior-Taylor/100003121138419 Junior Taylor

    so we are going to act like Kobe is out there playing lockdown d? Kobe is as much a factor in the Laker’s atrocious showing on D as Nash.

  • Sérgio

    Trade Kobe? First of all, it would be a major disrespect, since he is, arguably, the greatest Laker of all times. And secondly, he is still the best player on team, by far. Look at the season he is having – individually, only Lebron and KD are having better ones. And don’t forget that, before he decided to sacrifice it all to put his team in the playoffs, he was leading the league in scoring at 48% shooting.

  • KB37

    Why would they disown a player that helped deliver their organization 5 championships to do this when he might only be around one more year?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    ok?
    .
    if you aren’t winning. paying your best player $30 million a year is stupid.
    .
    Next season, Kobe is slated to make $30 million.
    .
    I’d consider trading him if my team isn’t competing.
    .
    All other things aside.

  • Sérgio

    Well, how about trading some Gasol or MWP first?

    Also, its incredible how MWP’s game changed. This year, he is playing much better on the offensive end, something that hasn’t yet happened as a Laker. On the other side, he has regressed mightly on D. Its sad: two years ago, he would lock the sh!t down of guys like KD, Melo, Pierce etc. Now, these guys play around with him.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    his offensive “renaissance” can be credited to the new offense and a relief of pressure on him not to make mistakes.
    .
    the defensive regression can be credited to father time.
    .
    What can you get for Gasol? If you can get more for Kobe, uhm, I’d trade Kobe. Actually, i’d trade both of them. Get as many assets as possible and retool to compete in 2-4 years.

  • RKJ92

    2 BLOCKS ON LEBRON, 2 BLOCKS!! — lol…

  • RKJ92

    Nah, I actually completely agree with you they’re paying 30 mill for a 30 year old volume shooter, with shotty defense, no ty..

  • http://www.facebook.com/jay.brodes Jay Brodes

    that wont happen unless the lakers want attendance to be like the bobcats! if jimmy buss wants to remain owner you should just give kb a job in the front office in two years! that is like hal and hank fooling around with the captain when his contract was up. they wanted to play hard ball with jeter. they got destroyed by the press. jimmy is on shaky ground as it is! bad idea!

  • RKJ92

    Why are you trying to explain ish’ to a Kobe dickrider? obviously anything you say will be countered with Kobe’s the greatest/best player on the team (WHICH HE ISN’T LAKERFANS SORRYYYYY) its pretty hopeless nbk.. their the most stubborn commentors I’ve ever witnessed of any forum lol.
    –
    On a sidenote if everything didn’t workout this year I’d blow up everything now, amnesty Nash, and build everything around Howard. So I do agree with you assuming you would keep Howard as well.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    LOL. i think i am the most stubborn commenter bruh. i mean, i’ve been having the same arguments for years now.

  • RKJ92

    Perfect ;)

  • playa

    “Yeah,amnesty Kobe so I can grab him boys!”- you wish mark,you wish

  • Ben Ireland

    That’s stupid. Why would his legacy be scarred for something he can’t control? If anything, it’d make me miss Jerry and hate Jim even more than I do right now, and believe me, that’s a difficult proposition. His legacy if he’s amnestied remains exactly the same. Unless he wins a title with another franchise, I guess, but even then, I doubt it. But Jim Buss is a PR nightmare right now. Amnestying Kobe? It’d send so many right to the Clippers bandwagon. He wouldn’t and couldn’t risk it. But I have faith anyways, Stern, in his last big move, vetoes the amnestying of Kobe, saving Jim Buss from himself.

  • playa

    he is clearly not the player he used to be…just as he is CLEARLY the best 17 th season veteran EVER,just as he is CLEARLY top 5 player in the league still.

  • RKJ92

    Hahaha the sad part is even with the proof right infront of their face, they see it and choose to just mentally block it out, then incessantly go on with the same arguement trying to make the same invalid points.. At least with your commenting, you will give up and not answer people if their rebuttle is actually *that* stupid, which ive seen a lotttt.. lol!

  • http://twitter.com/Jzakoni Sanchez

    hahahaha your evil!

  • MikeC.

    It’s not arguable. Kareem. Kobe is in the top-5. Which just shows the greatness of Dr. Buss’ reign as owner. Embarrassment of riches.

  • LakeShow

    I asked myself the same thing when the got rid of Fish.

  • dannyb

    You’re right, Nash is playing terribly – only shooting 50/40/90 AGAIN. He’d be racking up assists too if they’d keep the ball in his hands like it should be. Replace Kobe with a younger athletic 2, like JRich in his early Suns days, and you have a better team.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    lmao truee

  • LakeShow

    lol, I hope your embarrassed about this statement.

  • http://twitter.com/thursti_tyht Thurstian Tsui

    How can you accuse a guy with an amazing business acumen of not being a real boss? If anything its just his personality and him stirring the pot of laker drama

  • z

    Can’t see how anyone can down vote this comment when it’s 90% fact and 10% educated opinion based on those facts. Nash is most effective with the ball in his hands.

  • z

    Yes it is arguable. Magic brought them five chips, including one as a Finals MVP in his rookie season while he was playing CENTER. Name a single Laker that could play as many positions as Magic.

  • RKJ92

    It was sarcasm to it’s fullest, so not at all lol

  • LakeShow

    Your Taylor? Nope… Okay then

  • Sérgio

    He is not in the top 5. He is top 3, at last. The only guys in the discussion for greatest Laker of all times are Kobe, Magic and Kareem.

  • Sérgio

    Lamar Odom.

  • RKJ92

    LOL F*ckoff I’m tired and had to do a psychology term paper, MY BADDD

  • LakeShow

    Magic over Kareem by a sizable margin.

  • Kadavour

    he has a no-trade clause. end discussion.

  • Sérgio

    Well, then who is better than Kobe in the Lakers? Howard? Gasol? Nash? Please.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    He CAN waive it.
    .
    But we already stopped talking so…

  • RKJ92

    LOL is that a joke?

  • LakeShow

    It’s hard… but try to ignore the REALLY stupid ones.

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