Kobe Bryant Free Agency: Los Angeles Lakers Taking Wait And See Approach In Contract Talks [VIDEO]

Kobe Bryant has added motivation for making his NBA return from a torn Achilles sooner rather than later.

ProBasketball.com is reporting the Los Angeles Lakers are taking a wait-and-see approach that will allow the team to gauge how well he returns from the career-threatening injury before opening contract negotiations with the 17-year veteran. After spending his entire career as a Laker, the 35-year-old Bryant can be become a free agent after this season.

"If Bryant asks for the maximum five percent raise over his current salary, he would earn $32 million in 2014-15," a source told ProBasketball. "The Lakers won't pay him that much, especially as he comes off a torn Achilles, because it would seriously dent their salary-cap space."

Unlike comparable veterans Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, Bryant is on record in asserting that he does not want to take a pay cut. Both Duncan and Garnett took took slices down to the $10 million range and for Bryant to do something similar would allow the Lakers the space to sign two top-tier level free agents next summer.

Neither Bryant or the team has set a formal timetable for when they expect him to return to action this season, though earlier reports had him ahead of schedule in his rehab.