“We cannot move on as a team until Kobe leaves," Kupchak said. “Part of that to me is painful because I’ve been here 20 years with Kobe. This is a year that’s dedicated to Kobe and his farewell. From my point of view, it gives me complete clarity. … We know what our [salary] cap situation is going to be like.”
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The Lakers are 8-27 and almost certainly assured of missing the playoffs for the third year in a row, something that has never happened in the history of the franchise dating back to its days in Minneapolis. The 37-year-old Bryant is averaging 17.2 points and shooting just 34.1 percent from the field.
Kupchak did point out that that Lakers have a core of young talent to build with when Bryant leaves after the season. That includes Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell among others.
“We’re so much in a better spot today than we were a year ago,” Kupchak said. “We didn’t have that core.”
