Los Angeles Lakers owners say Kobe Bryant will never be traded from the Lakers.
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Earlier this season, talks emerged amongst sportswriters on whether the Lakers should trade superstar Kobe Bryant. In an interview with Ramona  Shelbure of ESPN.com, Lakers owners Jim and Jeanie Buss laid to rest any possibility of the Lakers dealing the star guard.
"There’s been a lot of talk that this season is going so badly that you should trade Kobe. Set him free, so to speak. Is there any chance that happens?Jim: No. I love Kobe Bryant. I think L.A. loves Kobe Bryant. I don’t envision him going anywhere. I don’t see it.Jeanie: I don’t want to see Kobe Bryant leave. But we understand the realities of the sports world. Take Shaq, for example. He was traded and played for several other teams. But once he retired, he asked us to retire his jersey. He wanted to be remembered as a Laker. So while I get attached, I know what the realities are in this business. It’s never going to change what we’ve accomplished together. But I don’t look forward to the day that Kobe Bryant’s not in purple and gold."
Unless Anthony Davis or Kevin Durant is on the other end of the deal, it’d make little sense basketball wise and financially to move on from Kobe Bryant. While the Lakers have the biggest fan base in the NBA, the team being bad could cause a steep decline in viewership and game attendance. With Bryant, the Lakers gives the fan base huge incentive to watch and appear at Lakers games because even if the team is bad, they get to witness Bryant as he nears retirement.
Even if the Lakers agreed to trade Bryant, I can’t imagine they’d get back much for a 34-year-old shooting guard who is owed nearly $30 million a season for the next two years and plays little defense. But confirmation from team owners can shut down one of the craziest story lines of the early season.
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