Mitch Kupchak downplayed the prospects of the Los Angeles Lakers using their one-time amnesty provision to waive Kobe Bryant this summer.
Bryant is on the books for upwards of $30 million next season, the last year of his contract.
"That's not even something that we've discussed," Kupchak said. "That's the furthest thing from our mind right now."
Kupchak visited with Bryant prior to Saturday's surgery, and indicated the 34-year-old guard was in good spirits.
"Actually, Kobe gave a message for me to pass on to the guys on the team, most of which I can't share with you right here," Kupchak said. "But it was a positive message, as you might imagine, very motivational. His spirits were good, certainly markedly different from [Friday] night. He's proactive in all ways. You wouldn't expect him to wait a week or two [for surgery]. Certainly [Friday] night when I got the phone call that he wanted to do it [Saturday], I wasn't surprised."