Kobe Bryant has made it a mission to win a sixth NBA championship, but according to one anonymous NBA general manager he'll have to do so with the Los Angeles Lakers because he has "zero trade value."
The Lakers signed Bryant, who was coming off of a torn Achilles tendon, to a two-year $45.8 million contract extension last season which placed him as the highest-paid player in the NBA and nearly guarantees that he'll close out his career with the only franchise he's ever known.
After word of the deal came out it seemed as though Bryant was destined to spend the last of his playing days in an purple and gold uniform.
One anonymous NBA general manager told Sports Illustrated that even if the two sides were to have a falling out, Bryant is going nowhere due to a horrible contract that gives him zero trade value coming off of an injury-riddled campaign.
"Zero," the GM said when asked what Bryant's trade value is. "Look at that number. Who takes him?"
Bryant was limited to just six games in the 2013-14 campaign due to the Achilles injury that was followed up by a fractured left kneecap after he returned. The contract has been seen as one of the worst in the game and more of a reward for what he's done for the franchise in the past than what he has done for it lately.
Bryant, 36, has had his struggles with injuries and has also had an attitude problem in the past, but in all likelihood he probably isn't going to be moved in the next two seasons and will likely only leave the Lakers when he retires from the sport for good.
For now, Bryant and his huge contract will look to turn around a Lakers franchise that finished the 2013-14 campaign with a franchise-worst 27-55 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
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