Karl Malone may be headed to the Lakers, and no amount of green -- in his paycheck or on his uniform -- is likely to convince him otherwise.

Malone is so intent on winning a championship, he is willing to accept the NBA veteran's minimum salary of $1.5 million from the Lakers, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing "sources with knowledge of conversations" between Malone and the team. That would allow L.A. to use its midlevel salary-cap exception to sign a free-agent point guard, probably nine-time all-star Gary Payton.

The idea of playing alongside Payton, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and for coach Phil Jackson, is so enticing that Malone apparently has rejected a strong sales pitch from Danny Ainge to finish his Hall of Fame career with the Celtics.

Ainge took over as executive director of basketball operations for the NBA's most storied franchise last month. He met with Malone at exactly 10 p.m. MDT on Monday night, the moment the 18-year veteran became a free agent, The Tribune has learned.

When Malone's response was enthusiastic, Ainge flew to southern California on Wednesday to discuss the Celtics' interest with Malone and his agent, Dwight Manley. Because the Celtics' payroll exceeds the salary cap, Ainge's offer presumably was for the midlevel exception, expected to be roughly $4.8 million.