Team Backs Off Some on Extension for Shaq

General Manager Mitch Kupchak, perhaps wary of relying on the generosity of players such as Karl Malone and Gary Payton to keep the Lakers competitive, cast doubt on Tuesday that Shaquille O’Neal would receive the lucrative contract extension he has said he deserves.

“We’re going to do what we think is best for the organization and the players on this team,” Kupchak said after the first day of training camp at the University of Hawaii. “That’s really all I want to say about it right now.”

Asked if it were his and owner Jerry Buss’ intention to extend O’Neal for the allowable three years beyond the 2005-06 season, when O’Neal is due to make $32.4 million, Kupchak said, “I wouldn’t make any assumptions.”

Because the collective bargaining agreement can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and because O’Neal’s original contract was signed before its implementation, the potential cost of a deal that would extend to O’Neal’s 37th birthday is difficult to quantify. Labor guru Larry Coons of realgm.com estimated the maximum extension O’Neal could receive to be worth between $105 and $114 million over three seasons.

As O’Neal’s salary has risen, and assuming Kobe Bryant -- who, at age 25, is eligible for a four-year extension now or a new, seven-year contract at season’s end -- is re-signed, the Lakers have found it more difficult to fill in around their superstars while living with salary-cap and luxury-tax dilemmas, among the reasons they failed last year in their bid for a fourth consecutive championship. While they were able to add Malone and Payton for this season and perhaps next, the signings, at well below market value, were considered a lightning-strike in the NBA in particular and professional sports in general.

On the subject of O’Neal’s salary in relation to the payroll, Kupchak said, “It’s safe to say the decision has great impact with the organization, whether you’re the owner or you’re the general manager trying to field a team.”

Negotiations with O’Neal’s representatives have not begun and, Kupchak said, he has set no deadline.

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The Lakers have agreed to terms on a contract with veteran forward Bryon Russell and have invited him to camp, Coach Phil Jackson said.

Russell, who averaged 4.5 points in limited minutes with the Washington Wizards last season, played the previous nine years with Malone in Utah. He is expected to sign with the Lakers today.

The contract is not guaranteed and Russell, 32, has not been assured a place on the regular-season roster. However, the Lakers have been told that Rick Fox, who had foot surgery in May, might not play until January and they are concerned that Bryant could miss games because of his legal entanglement.

Kupchak said Tuesday the Lakers would carry as many as 14 players, but probably not 15. Eleven of the 20 players in camp have guaranteed contracts and three -- Horace Grant, Jannero Pargo and Jamal Sampson -- have contracts that are partially guaranteed.

Jackson said he liked Russell’s defensive mind-set, shooting knack and playoff experience, but said Russell would need “the grace of God,” to make the club because of the limited roster space.