Kobe Bryant will never be traded. Never be traded again , we mean, as our grandparents will tell us tale of the Charlotte Hornets dealing a 17-year old Kobester for something called a "Vlade Divac" just hours after he was drafted in the summer of 1996, but Bryant will not be traded again. Not only does he have a no-trade clause that he'd have to waive in any such maneuver, but the Los Angeles Lakers kind of like their arena the way it is. Full of fans and not under constant threat of siege by Laker Nation. They also kind of like Kobe, and for good reason. He's been an integral part of five championships, he's been a proud Laker and compelling television watch, and despite some backhanded free agent visits in 2004 and 2007 trade demands, his relationship with the team's front office and ownership has been relatively calm. He'll be well compensated – at $23.5 million this season and $25 million the next – to finish his career as a Laker, even if the team is more or less out of playoff contention in the loaded Western conference. Still … what if the team attempted to trade Bryant, and what if Kobe complied? It's August, so we're allowed to wonder about such things....