The Los Angeles Lakers inked Kobe Bryant to a two-year extension on Monday. With Bryant on the books next season for $23.5 million, the Lakers now have the cap space to sign only one big-name free agent in 2014.
Bryant, 35, signed a 2-year extension worth $48.5 million that will keep him under contract through the 2015-16 season. The deal pays him $23.5 million next season and $25 million the following season, according to ESPN. Bryant's no-trade clause carries over to the extension.
"We've said all along that our priority and hope was to have Kobe finish his career as a Laker, and this (extension) should ensure that that happens," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told the team website. "To play 20 years in the NBA, and to do so with the same team, is unprecedented, and quite an accomplishment.
"Most importantly however, it assures us that one of the best players in the world will remain a Laker, bringing us excellent play and excitement for years to come."
Signing Bryant to a new deal before he's even returned to the court is a testament to the Lakers' faith in their aging superstar. It also shows the team believes Bryant can still play at an All-Star level by essentially making him one of the two big-name players they could've signed this summer in free agency.
The Lakers now have slightly more than $34 million on the books for next season, which allows them to make a play for one max-contract free agent - such as LeBron James, should he opt out in July, or Carmelo Anthony.
