Kobe Bryant Says LeBron James on the Lakers in 2014 Not ‘That Big of a Stretch’

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are the likely headliners for next summer’s NBA free agent class. Kobe Bryant may not be willing to take a pay cut to help bring one of those guys on board, but when it comes to LeBron, Bryant says it’s not inconceivable that he could join the Los Angeles Lakers. Per Lakers Nation: “Once Kobe retires, James will inevitably be chasing the Black Mamba ring count, so what would entice him to increase Kobe’s? Bryant didn’t seem to think LeBron to the Lakers was that big of a stretch. ‘It’s that argument that goes on forever,’ Kobe said at his basketball camp at UC Santa Barbara. ‘You don’t want to help someone else kind of increase their ring count, but he’s already increased Dwyane’s, so I don’t think it’s that big of a stretch.’ Kobe, of course, said he couldn’t speculate on what LeBron would do in 2014, but it sounds like the rumors that Los Angeles is a serious potential landing spot for LeBron, aren’t all that far off. The Lakers, though, would need to leave plenty of cap space for that to happen, and Kobe at least for now, isn’t prepared to take any dramatic pay cuts. And, LeBron hasn’t given any inclination that he’s even thought about being a free agent in the summer of 2014.”