Black Mamba A Bull?

Word is, Kobe may want out of L.A., and the Toros are the team with the pieces and cap space to make it happen. So assuming all this is true, uh, would we want to?

Color me unconvinced. I gave it a go on ESPN's Trade Machine and here's the best I could do. I'm assuming with a sign-and-trade of my namesake (and maybe our No. 9 pick instead of Thabo or Tyrus), it would look a little different, but ultimately pretty close to this. If we could keep Tyrus, I'd be a little more amenable. Quite frankly, a starting lineup of Kirk, Kobe, Deng, Tyrus and Big Ben is pretty fucking tasty, a decimated bench or no. (With our mid-level, we should be able to sign somebody halfway decent, and with one of our two picks late in the second, we should be able to net a Du-like backup at the point. Maybe Mean Mr. Green?)

Still, even if this deal's possible, I think I'd rather use it as leverage with Minnesota and let 'em know that this is their last chance to get anything approaching market value when it comes to Freeing Kevin. I've also gotta say that I'd find it very weird cheering for a team with Kobe Bryant.

Of course, I felt the same thing about Shaquille, back in the days when I was a full-on, unadulterated Heat fan. And, y'know, that turned out okay.

UPDATE: To quote the late, great Bill Hicks, "it's irony on a base level," but I fucking love it that Kobe is bitching about the Lakers' GM failing to build a championship contender when KOBE was the one who insisted on breaking up their championship contender. I think if Kupchak took a shotgun to him, it could arguably be justifiable homicide.