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LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Los Angeles GM Mitch Kupchak said Shaquille O'Neal might have just been kidding when he requested the Lakers trade him to a team that is serious about winning another NBA title.
"Shaq likes to kid and it is hard to tell sometimes whether he is kidding or not kidding. I was disappointed he said it publicly. That is the kind of thing that should be done in private," Kupchak said.
The giant centre asked for a trade after the Lakers decided not to invite coach Phil Jackson back for a sixth season and said he was tradeable if the right deal came along.
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"I want you guys to write that if any GM out there wants a hard-working big man who wants to win championships, call Mitch Kupchak because he'll entertain offers," O'Neal said on Friday.
Superstar Kobe Bryant, who O'Neal has feuded with on and off over the years, exercised a contract clause on Friday that allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent.
O'Neal has two years and more than 58 million dollars left on his contract but he is unhappy with the current direction of the team and says if the Lakers want to get rid of him then he is willing to go.
"The direction they're going in, if they're going to continue to go in the same direction, I don't want to be a part of this," O'Neal told the Los Angeles newspapers. "This team, it ain't about me, it ain't about Phil. It's supposed to be about the team.
"When I was brought here by Jerry West, there was a team concept. It was something I wanted to be a part of. I told you I'm all about winning championships. Now the organization is different."
Kupchak initially said he would will try to satisfy O'Neal's trade request but ruled out a sign-and-trade deal involving Bryant before the 25-year-old opted to become a free agent.
The Lakers season ended with a whimper last week when they were beaten 100-87 in the series-clinching game five of the NBA finals.
If he is dealt to another club, O'Neal's final game with the Lakers was last Tuesday's loss to the underdog Pistons, who beat a team with a roster boasting four future Hall of Famers.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Los Angeles GM Mitch Kupchak said Shaquille O'Neal might have just been kidding when he requested the Lakers trade him to a team that is serious about winning another NBA title.
"Shaq likes to kid and it is hard to tell sometimes whether he is kidding or not kidding. I was disappointed he said it publicly. That is the kind of thing that should be done in private," Kupchak said.
The giant centre asked for a trade after the Lakers decided not to invite coach Phil Jackson back for a sixth season and said he was tradeable if the right deal came along.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I want you guys to write that if any GM out there wants a hard-working big man who wants to win championships, call Mitch Kupchak because he'll entertain offers," O'Neal said on Friday.
Superstar Kobe Bryant, who O'Neal has feuded with on and off over the years, exercised a contract clause on Friday that allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent.
O'Neal has two years and more than 58 million dollars left on his contract but he is unhappy with the current direction of the team and says if the Lakers want to get rid of him then he is willing to go.
"The direction they're going in, if they're going to continue to go in the same direction, I don't want to be a part of this," O'Neal told the Los Angeles newspapers. "This team, it ain't about me, it ain't about Phil. It's supposed to be about the team.
"When I was brought here by Jerry West, there was a team concept. It was something I wanted to be a part of. I told you I'm all about winning championships. Now the organization is different."
Kupchak initially said he would will try to satisfy O'Neal's trade request but ruled out a sign-and-trade deal involving Bryant before the 25-year-old opted to become a free agent.
The Lakers season ended with a whimper last week when they were beaten 100-87 in the series-clinching game five of the NBA finals.
If he is dealt to another club, O'Neal's final game with the Lakers was last Tuesday's loss to the underdog Pistons, who beat a team with a roster boasting four future Hall of Famers.
