How Kobe Bryant could be traded to team like Knicks, and why trade may never happen

Pairing Bryant with Carmelo Anthony would be an intriguing scenario and one that most Knicks fans would endorse wholeheartedly. If Bryant was available — and right now he isn’t — there are plenty of teams (Dallas, Chicago) who would potentially make a play for the perennial All-Star who owns five championship rings.

Kobe Bryant trade rumors on the Internet are now second only to Kim Kardashian photos with her baby. With each successive Lakers loss, speculation grows that Bryant could spend the twilight of his brilliant career with a championship contender and perhaps even reunite with Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher in New York.

Pairing Bryant with Carmelo Anthony would be an intriguing scenario and one that most Knicks fans would endorse wholeheartedly. If Bryant was available — and right now he isn’t — there are plenty of teams (Dallas, Chicago) who would potentially make a play for the perennial All-Star who owns five championship rings.

Last weekend, however, Bryant rejected the notion of finishing his career anywhere else but in Los Angeles. “I hear the chatter of Kobe should ask out and he should go and play for a contender in this latter stage of his career,” Bryant told Yahoo! Sports. “But that’s not what I do. I’m extremely loyal to the Lakers.

“I believe in fighting through the tough times as well as enjoying the good times. It’s my responsibility to get us to be the best that we can be. It’s important that we approach that on a day-to-day basis.”

Of course, it is still early November and it is possible that Bryant’s mood could change dramatically if the Lakers are 10 games under .500 in February when the trading deadline approaches. Coincidentally, the All-Star Game will be played the Sunday before the deadline, and Bryant’s future may hijack the weekend.

The Lakers are 0-5, and the club’s immediate future looks bleak. The team’s top rookie, Julius Randle, suffered a broken leg in a season-opening loss and is done for the year. Veteran point guard Steve Nash is also out for the season with recurring back pain, while the club’s brand has taken a major hit with the free agent departures of Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol over the span of 13 months.