Like Clockwork for Lakers

Late Tuesday night in Los Angeles, in the minutes after midnight in the New York-based offices of the NBA, the Lakers came to binding agreements with Gary Payton and Karl Malone, and so rebuilt a team that fell 10 playoff victories short of its fourth consecutive NBA title.

Despite game efforts by Western Conference general managers to undermine the handshake deals held between the Lakers and the two high-profile free agents, the Lakers survived the negotiating period and added perennial All-Stars in the front and back courts.

In a West Los Angeles hotel as the clock passed 9 p.m. Pacific time, Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak opened a bottle of champagne and celebrated with Payton, Payton’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, and Malone’s agent, Dwight Manley. Malone faxed his signed contract, a two-year deal worth about $3.2 million, from his Arkansas ranch. Payton has a two-year contract worth $10.4 million. He can opt out after the first season.

Though Malone will be 40 in little more than a week, he could be the best power forward in Laker franchise history. Payton, who will turn 35 next Wednesday, is the club’s best point guard since Magic Johnson, who retired more than a decade ago before returning for a half-season several years later.

After the toast, Payton and Malone spoke by telephone. A witness said Payton told Malone, “We’re going to be a target now. Let’s be ready for it.”

The team will introduce the players at a Thursday news conference.

In unprecedented gestures intended to ensure they played together and joined with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant to form a daunting NBA power, Malone and Payton took massive pay cuts from last season. The players accepted well below their market values, even as the league’s salary cap rose slightly to $43.8 million.

At a time when the top player contracts are defined in the tens of millions of dollars -- O’Neal, for example, will earn $26.5 million next season and is eligible for a three-year, $121.5-million extension in October -- Payton will make $4.9 million and Malone $1.5 million next season.

Well over the salary- and luxury-tax thresholds, the Lakers will pay at least $63 million in salaries for the 2003-04 season, and Kupchak continues to ponder adding a backup center or a veteran shooter.

Malone played the last 18 seasons for the Utah Jazz, played in two NBA Finals and lost them both. Payton played 12 1/2 seasons for the Seattle SuperSonics, the last half-season for the Milwaukee Bucks, played in one NBA Finals, and lost it.

They come to Los Angeles, therefore, with the ultimate hopes of winning one more series, joining with the coach that beat them in all three finals -- Phil Jackson, then of the Chicago Bulls -- and finishing their careers with more than great individual achievement and narrow team misses. They’ll do it in the confines of the triangle offense, a scheme in which O’Neal and Bryant bled 42 of the 84 available shots per game, at a time in which Malone (20.6 points per game) and Payton (20.4 points) finished 22nd and 23rd in the league in scoring last season, so still close to their offensive primes.

In the days after announcing their clients’ intentions to sign with the Lakers when the league’s negotiating period concluded, the agents for Payton and Malone said they were inundated by offers and pleas from general managers.

The Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings waved their mid-level exceptions and lucrative sign-and-trade deals. Spurned by free agents Jermaine O’Neal and Jason Kidd, the San Antonio Spurs took one last, hard run at Malone, who could have played alongside Tim Duncan instead of Shaquille O’Neal, and played for the defending NBA champions instead of the team they eliminated.

“You have no idea,” Manley, Malone’s agent, said. “They were shooting torpedoes.... Now, Karl’s not giving up $10 million. He’s giving up $20 million.”

Malone and Jackson spoke at some length last weekend, for the first time since Kupchak began his chase, since Malone first notified the organization of the financial sacrifice he would be willing to make. Manley said the two discussed possible lineups, some of Jackson’s philosophies, and some of Malone’s. The conversation, Manley said, “went great,” and Malone, who is expected to fly in from his ranch in Arkansas on Thursday, came away as enthused as ever. Payton was in Los Angeles on Tuesday to attend an awards show.

Jackson could choose to start Devean George at small forward. Or, he could start Derek Fisher with Payton in the backcourt and move Bryant to small forward, a position he sometimes favors.

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Agent Jeff Austin, on free agent Eric Piatkowski’s interest in the Lakers and vice versa: “Oh, I don’t know. I’ll just say, ‘No comment’ on that.” ... If they choose to sign a shooter, the Lakers may also consider Jon Barry and Voshon Lenard.... Scottie Pippen remains something of a possibility, though only if he would play for the veteran’s minimum, which is just more than $1 million. Pippen has received more interest from the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies.... Robert Horry is negotiating with the Mavericks, and the Jazz, Spurs and Lakers continue to have some degree of interest.