Kobe or not Kobe?

A couple of national NBA columnists have weighed in on the status of Kobe Bryant and the Bulls in the past few days, but that doesn't mean trade talks are heating up. Far from it.

Bryant's representatives have been eager to facilitate a trade that would give the nine-time all-star a new home. And it's no secret that Chicago is one of Bryant's preferred destinations. So there have been talks between the Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.

At the same time, the Lakers are in no hurry to deal their high-scoring star. The Bulls are not willing to meet the Lakers' asking price and Bryant, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, would not agree to join a team if its roster was gutted.

Even though Lakers owner Jerry Buss said recently he'd consider trading Bryant, team management seems to be hoping that Bryant will feel better about his current situation if the Lakers get off to a good start when the NBA season begins next week.

The Bryant-to-the-Bulls speculation could die down in a few days if Ben Gordon signs a contract extension before Wednesday's deadline.

The Bulls are open to trading for Bryant, but are not likely to package two of their three young stars -- Gordon, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich -- in such a deal.

At the same time, Bryant is owed an average of $22.1 million over the next four years, if he doesn't exercise an opt-out clause in 2009, and the Bulls would need to send back a large contract to avoid a hefty luxury tax bill. The Lakers aren't likely to take on Ben Wallace's contract, which would leave Andres Nocioni as the only other candidate.

So the Bulls might consider a package of Gordon and Nocioni for Bryant, along with some combination of Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah or Thabo Sefolosha. But Nocioni cannot be dealt until Dec. 15 because he signed a new contract during the summer.

Then if Gordon signs an extension, he and Nocioni could not be traded together until next summer, because of salary-cap rules that restrict trading players for a year after they receive a large salary increase.

The Bulls are already considered one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference. They don't figure to have much incentive to acquire Bryant at a high price unless they are playing poorly in February before the trade deadline.

Bryant sat out the Lakers' preseason finale against Sacramento on Friday night because of a right wrist injury. He is expected to be ready for the season opener on Tuesday against Houston.