The Los Angeles Lakers got started off on the right foot this season with a win over the Clippers, but after a blowout loss to the Warriors the team is looking to rebound against the San Antonio Spurs Friday and on that day, Kobe Bryant will be a happy man, as he will make $24 million in one payment based on the way his contract pays out.
According to ESPN.com and the LA Times, Bryant will be getting a check on Friday for $24,363,044 and that is in part because he gets a "balloon" payment in his contract from the team. The salary for this season is up to $30 million and Bryant gets a large sum of that on Friday. Bryant obviously is not on the floor for the start of the season as he recovers from his Achilles injury, but clearly he is getting a nice paycheck to make himself feel better.
The Lakers need Bryant to come back healthy for any chance of a successful season and after getting that win over the Clippers, all that positive energy was lost with a bad blowout loss against the Warriors. Kobe will have $6.1 million on his contract for the rest of the season and the next step for him will be what his next contract is, as the team has said that they plan on re-signing Kobe as a free agent, but at his age with his injuries, what will he be worth and what will they be willing to give him?
The team likely will try for an extension heading into the summer and according to the LA Times, they can give him $32.7 million. The Lakers have plenty of questions to figure out, including with Steve Nash and Pau Gasol and now the defense is looking pretty suspect, as they gave up a ton of points to the Warriors, including a career high 38 from Klay Thompson. The Lakers are now ranked 27th in the league in scoring defense through two games and on Friday they will get another chance.
The Lakers play against the Spurs on Friday night at the Staples Center and San Antonio Comes in having already won against the Grizzlies to start the season. Jodie Meeks led the way for the Lakers on Wednesday against the Warriors, while Pau Gasol had seven rebounds in the game and Jordan Farmar had five assists. Bryant will need to be on top of his game when he returns and the Lakers season may depend on it.
