The legacy of Kobe Bryant is taking another turn. The Los Angeles Lakers star fully intends to play out the remainder of his contract, but his body might not allow him to. The veteran spent the last two season struggling with injuries while barely being seen on the court. This year started off much better, but Bryant's latest issue might have the Lakers moving on sooner rather than later.
The Lakers announced that Bryant suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder during the second half of the team's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. An MRI revealed the injury and now Bryant will be returning to Los Angeles for further tests rather than face the San Antonio Spurs. According to ESPN, the Lakers fear the veteran needs season-ending surgery which could be Bryant's curtain call.
At this point, the Lakers cannot get roster relief for Bryant's injury. The deadline to apply for disabled player exceptions passed on January 15 which leaves the Lakers to find someone on the free agent market who is cheap and can attempt to fill the void. After losing both Steve Nash and Julius Randle to season-ending injuries, this does not bode well for the remainder of the Lakers' season.
Prior to the injury, Bryant had been very adamant that he will play next season and finish out his contract in Los Angeles. The Lakers will have a large amount of salary cap space to work with in the offseason and intended to use Bryant as their main recruiting tool for players like LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol and Goran Dragic who are expected to have the attention of multiple teams come free agency.
The fact of the matter is that the Lakers cannot build the team around Bryant anymore. The team must think the long-term instead of building up the roster for one season to get Bryant some wins on his farewell tour. The chances the Lakers bounce back and get into the championship are slim in 2015 no matter who they bring on so acquiring players to build a future around should be the ultimate goal.
Bryant will be owed $25 million next season. The chances he plays a full year are slim. The chances he can return to dominance are even slimmer. Bryant was shooting a career-worst 37 percent this season prior to the injury. He was posting some of the worst efficiency ratings of his career as well. Bryant will simply not be the player he once was and the Lakers must decide just how long they are willing to hold on.
Los Angeles will not say the word tanking, but the idea that the team tries to trade off some roster pieces for draft picks and assets is high. Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer will stick around with Nick Young, but other players might not get so lucky. At this point the Lakers are thinking about next year because this season is over.