The pros and cons of a Bobcats trade for Kobe

First off, I believe Phil Jackson.

The Lakers' coach told the Los Angeles Times he’s confident Kobe Bryant will still be on his roster when training camp opens in October. That makes perfect sense to me, despite all of Bryant’s assertions he wants a trade.

Just because a guy says he doesn’t want to be there doesn’t mean you have to move him. Bryant is under contract - a maximum contract, by the way - and figuring out a way to calm him down over time is far less problematic than figuring out a way to get fair compensation while trading a superstar.

But just for fun, let’s say the Lakers do move Bryant. Are the Charlotte Bobcats a viable trade partner?

I can make an argument either way.

It’s easy to dismiss Bryant-as-a-Bobcat as fantasy. First off, consider why Bryant wants to leave the Lakers: He’s lost confidence in his current team’s ability to assemble a championship roster on the quick. If he thinks his window is closing on winning more titles, then why would he go to a team that has never made the playoffs and has multiple flaws?

Also, Charlotte isn’t exactly the NBA's epicenter. Bryant might have said he’d accept a trade to Mars, but realistically he’s probably more fixated on Chicago, New York or Phoenix.

So there are the negatives. Now consider the positives:

I would argue the Bobcats have a unique advantage in making a viable offer to the Lakers because they could assemble tens of millions in room under the salary cap to absorb Bryant’s salary.

That’s important, because it means the Lakers wouldn’t have to accept a bunch of garbage off Charlotte’s roster to balance the deal under the salary cap. The Lakers would get the things they want (cap relief, draft picks and young talent) and might even convince the Bobcats to accept some junk in return (like Kwame Brown’s contract?)

The key is how much the Lakers would demand. I take it for granted the Bobcats would hand over their two first-round picks (Nos. 8 and 22), plus a future first-rounder. I also assume the Lakers would expect either Emeka Okafor or Gerald Wallace (who would have to be a sign-and-trade).

No way I give up Okafor if I’m the Bobcats. Also, if I were Bryant, I’d demand the Bobcats keep Okafor, since a wing scorer needs a rebounder-shotblocker-bodyguard.

So Wallace, who is represented by the same agent as Bryant, probably would have to become a Laker.

At the end of all that, the Bobcats would get the player they need most (a consummate scorer who demands a double-team every trip down the floor) but would gut their other assets (draft picks, young talent and cap room.)

Bryant would sell tickets and create buzz in Charlotte. But would he be any closer to a title than he was in Los Angeles? And if he’s not, wouldn’t that re-start this cycle of him complaining and second-guessing and eventually demanding another trade?

In other words, be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.