Kobe Bryant: “I think at the end of the day, everybody stays.”

There has been a plethora of rumors lately surrounding some of the big name players in the NBA, almost enough to overshadow the NBA Finals. These players are, namely, Lakers Center Dwight Howard and Clippers Point Guard Chris Paul.

Earlier in the week, a report surfaced that Howard and Paul were recently texting each other about the possibility of teaming up next season. There was then the rumor that Howard and Blake Griffin would be trading places, a rumor that quickly fell apart.

While the idea sounds good on paper, it is much harder in practice. There are few teams who could afford to take on the two superstars, so it was unlikely to actually come to fruition. The most likely destination would be Atlanta, as they have a decent chunk of cap available, and will be looking to add a superstar.

However, that does not include some of their pending free agents, players they would surely like to bring back to fill out their roster before they spend it all on two players.

In light of the rumors, Howard’s teammate Kobe Bryant recently told an LA ESPN radio show that he thinks the two will end up staying with their respective teams, despite all of the talk. He then went on to say that he “spoke to him maybe a couple weeks ago, just to check in with him, see what he was doing, see what he was up to, see how his summer was going,” and acknowledged that ” he’s got a big decision to make and I’m sure he’ll take the visits and talk to the players from the teams that he’s considering. We’ll touch base a lot more.”

Essentially he is saying that as time rolls on and Howard begins talking to other possible teams, that Kobe will be sure to stay in touch, and likely present an ear-worm to keep him with the Lakers for next year, and beyond.