Shaw Considering Other Offers

Brian Shaw remained a free agent Friday, the process of waiving and then re-signing him perhaps not as seamless as the Lakers might have hoped.

Though General Manager Mitch Kupchak spoke to Shaw on Friday and met at his El Segundo office with Jerome Stanley, Shaw’s agent, the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks also were believed to have called, complicating the process.

“Brian is weighing offers, and the offers are from contenders,” Stanley said. “I’m not sure it’s going to happen. I don’t know. They waived him.”

Shaw cleared waivers Friday morning. The Lakers, trying to keep from paying a luxury tax after the season, would save about $1.25 million in salary if they re-signed Shaw at $1 million, and perhaps millions more if it kept them beneath the tax ceiling.

Kupchak said he hoped to have an agreement this weekend.

Asked if, after talking to Shaw, he believed the issues were emotional or purely financial, Kupchak said, “I think both. Although this has been discussed with him for several months now, the process of being waived, I think there’s an emotional reaction that requires a couple days to get through.

“I don’t think a deadline is necessary. They don’t want to drag it out and we don’t want to drag it out.”

In the meantime, the Lakers seemed willing to reconsider signing Ron Harper if negotiations end poorly.

“I hope for Brian’s sake [he signs],” Coach Phil Jackson said. “I know he wants to be part of a championship team, and I think it’s important. You know, it would be good for us too. It’s a nice match. But we have other options too, you know.”

Harper, the veteran guard who had knee surgery last season, is a favorite of Jackson’s.

Mark Termini, Harper’s agent, said Harper is staying in shape, playing golf, eager to play another season, but not dying to, either.

Termini said he has had recent conversations with Kupchak, but nothing so specific that would have Harper on the next flight to Los Angeles if the Shaw negotiations didn’t go smoothly and quickly.

Shaw’s locker, between Jelani McCoy’s and Mitch Richmond’s, was empty but for a bottle of deodorant for another night.

Shaquille O’Neal shook his head.

“See what happens when you [mess] around?” he said loudly.

The Lakers went a second game with 11 players.

“We just hope we can patch it together this year,” Jackson said. “Last year we did.”

O’Neal, who worried Thursday that the transaction would backfire, kept his comments to a minimum.

“I’m going to go talk to Mitch first,” he said, and then left.

On the way out, he smiled and said, “First [Atlanta] trades Dominique. Then [New York] trades Ewing. Now this.”