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Radmanovic expected to face fine for lying

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Times Staff Writer

The Lakers continue to debate internally what type of financial punishment to give forward Vladimir Radmanovic, who suffered a separated shoulder in a snowboarding accident over the All-Star break.

Radmanovic, in the first year of a five-year, $30.2-million contract, will be out for eight weeks, approximately 20 to 25 games. He initially told team officials he slipped on a patch of street ice after getting coffee with a friend in Park City, Utah. He admitted lying about it last week.

Attempting to void his contract is considered too extreme by Lakers officials, but a fine is expected in the next day or two.

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“We’re continuing with our internal discussions,” Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. “The team was out of town for three days so we put it on hold until our staff got back.”

Mindful that Radmanovic, 26, is under contract for four more seasons, the team probably wants to preserve a relationship with him, reducing the chances of a drastic punishment. The Lakers are also believed to think he has been punished amply by media reports since revealing he initially lied about the circumstances of his injury. A national sports website recently listed Radmanovic’s plight as one of eight “memorable injury cover-ups” in sports history.

At the same time, Lakers officials will assess some sort of fine because they are not thrilled with his decision to try snowboarding for the first time. He was injured when he flipped and landed on his shoulder during a mid-day run on the slopes.

Radmanovic said last week that a guilty conscience eventually got the best of him.

“I figured out the best thing to do was to come out with the truth, no matter what the consequences and penalties were going to be,” he said.

Radmanovic, who makes $5.2 million this season, was averaging 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds.

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When Chris Webber was deciding in January which team to choose, Shammond Williams or Aaron McKie would have been waived to make room for him on the Lakers.

Now they are the first and second guards off the bench and peripheral reasons why the Lakers aren’t rushing to sign Scottie Pippen. The Lakers would have to waive a player to make room for Pippen, and the recent uptick in playing time for Williams and McKie makes them suddenly more valuable.

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“They’re going to fill the gaps that we need right now in our defense,” Coach Phil Jackson said.

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Luke Walton and Kwame Brown have missed a combined 42 games because of sprained ankles, but they increased their workouts again and took part in five-on-five scrimmages Wednesday. Walton said he wanted to play Friday against Sacramento, but Brown targeted Tuesday against Minnesota for his return.... Maurice Evans is listed as day to day after getting fluid drained from his right knee Wednesday. He banged knees with Utah forward Matt Harpring in Monday’s game.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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