Kobe Bryant continues to dispute rumors that he could eventually play in the Big 3.

“There’s about a zero percent chance that I come back and play,” Bryant said on the Rich Eisen show.

“Nothing (makes a zero with his fingers). Done, that’s it.”

Bryant also said that he doesn't miss playing basketball.

”Never (have I missed it). Never. Here’s the thing: For us athletes, it’s really hard to transition from that. I was really personal about it when I wrote ‘Dear Basketball,’ but that is the true challenge: Finding what comes next, and finding something you love to do every bit as much as you loved your first passion. That is a challenge for us, and I think unfortunately for us athletes, we’ve been pigeonholed into thinking that we can only be one thing."

Bryant retired from basketball in 2016.

The Los Angeles Lakers plan on pursuing another max contract free agent next offseason.

The 2019 free agency class includes Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins and others.

According to a source close to Butler, he's open to the idea of joining LeBron James with the Lakers.

The Minnesota Timberwolves traded for Butler on draft night in 2017.

San Antonio Express-News beat reporter Jabari Young has been one of the most plugged in reporters on Kawhi Leonard and he was asked if he believes the Toronto Raptors have a chance to re-sign him.

“Based off of me talking to people within his circle, they’re going to go into this thing with an open mind and give this thing every last opportunity to work," said Young on TSN. "And at the end of the day, if that’s the case, it would be great if he stays. Obviously, I think part of his mind, yes, let’s keep it real: I think he still feels like L.A. might be the destination, but the same time, he plans to go into this thing with an open mind, giving it every single shot in the world to make it work.”

Leonard contended he wanted to spend his entire career with the Spurs just a few months before he requested a trade.

Paul George said the Los Angeles Lakers were upset with him for not taking a meeting with them in free agency.

George was strongly linked to the Lakers for more than a year but he decided to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder even before the start of free agency.

"L.A. was pissed at me," he said on the Short Story Long podcast. "I didn't give Magic [Johnson] a meeting, which I understand. But at that point, I knew I wanted to give it another shot [in Oklahoma City]. I didn't want to prolong it and waste people's time."

George announced his decision at a house party in Oklahoma hosted by Russell Westbrook. George also posted a photo that night of him and Westbrook on Instagram with the caption "Unfinished business."

"Coming down to free agency, I didn't want to waste any time," George said on the podcast. "I wanted to give it another shot. I gave them one year. We played well against the best teams. I wanted to give it a real shot."

Kawhi Leonard's preference for his 2019 free agency is to sign with either the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers, according to sources.

Leonard was traded by the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors in July.

The Raptors can sign Leonard to a five-year, $190 million contract next summer, or a four-year, $141 million deal with a team with max cap space.

Daryl Morey believes LeBron James is the best player in the history of the NBA "by a bit of a big margin."

"You look at his ability to generate wins and championship probability over time, and you basically break that down. You don't need all the numbers. You can watch as well and see that.

"But if you basically isolate that and also look at the career he's had, frankly I think at this point it's become a bit of a big margin, actually, where he's come out ahead. I know that's a little controversial."

James has won three titles and four MVPs to six titles and five MVPs by Michael Jordan.

The Houston Rockets had interest in signing James but he instead signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kyle Kuzma believes many are "underestimating" the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers signed LeBron James and then added Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley in the offseason.

"We are both definitely excited about the roster and the pieces that we have," Kuzma told ESPN on Tuesday, after visiting with 20 kids from the Safe Places program at his hometown Flint YMCA as part of the "My Y Story" content series. "And we think that a lot of people are underestimating us. It is definitely going to be fun playing with all these new guys."

"A lot of people say we got a lot of different people, a lot of new people," added Kuzma, who also is holding a three-day camp for children in his hometown. "But change can be a good thing. It is not necessarily always a bad thing. There's a lot of teams in the NBA that need to work on their chemistry; we are just one of them."

LeBron James will return to play the Cleveland Cavaliers as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 21.

The game will be played on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. The NBA scheduled a high profile game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors last season on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

The Lakers will open the season at the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 18 followed by their home opener on Oct. 20 against the Houston Rockets.

The Golden State Warriors will host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day.

The Warriors have played James on Christmas Day when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers on every Christmas Day since 2016.

The Philadelphia 76ers will play the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day as well, along with the Milwaukee Bucks at the New York Knicks. Tim MacMahon reports the Houston Rockets will host the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Chris Haynes reports the Utah Jazz will host the Portland Trail Blazers.

The NBA will announce the remainder of their national television schedule on Wednesday.

The Miami Heat have signed guard Malik Newman. 

Newman began his collegiate career at Mississippi State before transferring to the University of Kansas where he appeared in 39 games (33 starts) last season and averaged 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.08 steals and 31.6 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from three-point range and 83.5 percent from the foul line. 

Newman, who signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 1 before being waived on July 19, appeared in five Summer League games with the Lakers in Las Vegas and averaged 3.2 points while shooting 6-of-19 from the field, 2-of-6 from three-point range and a perfect 2-of-2 from the foul line.