Trading Kobe

As the Los Angeles Lakers remain struggling, their 36-year-old leader – Kobe Bryant – is slowly feeling the punishment brought by the 82-game season.

Against the Phoenix Suns, in fact, Bryant played like a lone ranger, delivering 39 points on 14-of-27 shooting before the mediocre Lakers surrendered a 106-112 decision for their fifth consecutive defeat.

True enough, the Lakers are a bad team. Very bad.

They are inefficient on defense and a disaster on offense with a penchant of hurling ill-advised 3-pointers even with no big man to collar the rebound. Their preseason acquisitions, Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin, look like the second coming of Chris Mihm and Smush Parker inside the court while their second star, Steve Nash, and first-round pick Julius Randle are already out for the entire season.

Amid this chaos lies the bigger question: Will the Lakers let go of Bryant?

I know this controversial question is something being avoided to be discussed openly. If basketball is a religion, trading away Bryant is a sacrilege. He is an epitome of an old-school star. He is the modern-day version of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, John Stockton and Reggie Miller, who opted to retire instead of donning other team's jersey.

Also, Los Angeles is Hollywood. It is the home of the stars. A ticket to the Lakers game is the fourth most expensive in the NBA and people will no longer troop to the Staples Center if Bryant is not the main attraction. It already happened before when Johnson retired in 1992. But when Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal arrived in 1996, Showtime is back – and so are the Lakers.

They need Bryant for television ratings as well. He is the main reason why ESPN and TNT opt to broadcast a sloppy Lakers-Knicks game rather than a Spurs-Bucks game that might actually be more relevant. Stars drive television ratings, and Bryant is the star of the stars. He is a lightning rod –somebody whom the Lakers couldn't afford to lose.

But those reasons have more to do with entertainment rather than with basketball. And the reality is that Father Time is slowly catching Bryant, reminding him that there's no such thing as a golden unicorn or a fountain of youth.

If the Lakers will trade Bryant, his most logical destination could either be Boston or New York, two proud cities with rich basketball tradition.

With the Celtics grooming Marcus Smart to be their point guard of the future, Bryant could be traded for Rajon Rondo and serve as mentor to the rebuilding Boston side. Rondo is young at 28 and has the same kill-or-be killed mentality that made Bryant a household name. He is a perfect fit for Lakers, who can then use their remaining $30-million cap space in luring another important piece, probably Kawhi Leonard, Reggie Jackson, Greg Monroe or even Marc Gasol.

New York could also be an interesting landing spot.

With Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher ready to welcome him with open arms, Bryant could play second fiddle to Carmelo Anthony while spreading the gospel of the triangle to younger players. In return, the Lakers could get one of the Knicks big expiring contracts like that of Amare Stoudemire, a young piece like Iman Shumpert and a protected pick.

Either way, it's going to be a win-win scenario for Bryant. He can still be a star with either Boston or New York while continuously growing his brand before a large-market audience from Beantown and Broadway.

Yes, Bryant already made it clear that he wants to retire as a Laker. In fact, there is a no-trade clause in his contract.

But remember, it's only November with still 77 games left in the regular season. Who knows, maybe he will give it a closer look by the time the season reaches its homestretch.

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Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column are purely the writer’s own.