Lakers Not a Likely Option for Horry

The Lakers did the obvious and painful thing Monday, declining next season’s option on Robert Horry’s contract, and soon will have only two power forwards under contract -- Slava Medvedenko and Brian Cook.

Their hope is to have Horry back at a cut rate, but as a free agent he will be able to ponder other offers and other situations, perhaps some closer to his Houston home.

Horry said Monday night that he doubted there was a scenario that would have him back with the Lakers after 6 1/2 years with them, and specifically mentioned San Antonio, New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami, Orlando and Houston as possible destinations.

And Los Angeles?

“The Clippers,” Horry said, laughing.

He will take all telephone calls from the Lakers, but he’ll be watching and measuring his replacement at power forward. That, he said, also could determine how eager he is to return.

“If the person they get, if I have respect for that person, then I know there’s a reason behind them not picking up my option,” he said. “It depends on if the person they get I think is better than me. I think I would be a little upset if they went out and got somebody and paid them a lot of money. If it’s [Gary] Payton, I won’t be mad. I’d take Payton, too, because he’s a hell of a guard. [Karl] Malone, I won’t be upset. But, Juwan [Howard] and P.J. [Brown], I think I’d be a little upset, because we’re all about the same speed. Maybe Juwan scores more points, but I still think there’s a lot of things I do that they can’t do.”

Given the choice between the Lakers and another franchise at the same salary, Horry said, “I’ll probably go be happy doing something else. Even though I have a better chance to win [with the Lakers] ... I’ll be all right.”

Among General Manager Mitch Kupchak’s first telephone calls this morning could be one to Horry’s agent, in hopes of bringing Horry back at something a bit more luxury-tax friendly than $5.3 million.

Today begins the free-agent negotiating period, 15 days in which the Lakers will court some big names -- Payton, Malone, Howard and Brown, to name a few -- and then a handful of others, in case the mid-level exception (about $4.9 million) isn’t enough for the big names to live on.

The negotiations could turn on how far owner Jerry Buss and Kupchak are willing to extend their offers of multiyear contracts. Payton will be 35 on July 23, Malone will be 40 the next day and Brown will be 34 in October. Only Howard, who turned 30 this winter, would spend most of a long-term contract in his prime.

Phil Jackson prefers veterans, a strategy that served him through most of his nine championships, and yet bogged down the Lakers last season. So, depending on where they spend their mid-level exception, and assuming they find someone to spend it on, the Lakers also would like to use the next few weeks to get quicker and more athletic, something along the lines of Ty Lue, perhaps, if Payton goes elsewhere or remains in Milwaukee. Kupchak said Monday he’d like to add a guard and “at least two big players.”

Shaquille O’Neal has said he hoped the team would add Payton and a power forward, and presumably Kobe Bryant will measure the depth and value of his supporting cast before striking out on his own free-agent course next summer.

Horry, 32, is a free agent at what would seem to be a difficult time: The NBA economy is tight, the luxury tax looms and he is coming off one of the worst regular seasons of his career, followed by his worst postseason.

An elegant player whose clutch jump shots and clever defense helped define the Lakers’ run of three consecutive championships, Horry became one of the franchise’s most popular personalities, and Kupchak said he found it emotionally difficult to let him go.

In their last conversation, Kupchak said he reminded Horry, “He’ll go down in Laker history as one of the all-time clutch players. I don’t think anybody will forget that shot he made against Sacramento [to win Game 4 of the Western Conference finals last year]. If there’s one shot that’s etched in Laker fans’ minds, that would be it. Certain things can’t be taken away or diminished. Robert was very gracious. He understood.... It can’t be easy.”

It wasn’t.

“It’s really been strange,” said Horry’s wife, Keva. “People deal with things differently. He’s cool, calm and collected, tries to pretend nothing affects him. But I know it does.”

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Laker Unrestricted Free Agents

*--* Robert Horry...F Mark Madsen...F Tracy Murray...F Samaki Walker...F Brian Shaw...G

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