A few years ago maybe possible, but today teams don't think the big fella is worth it, including the Kings.

"But the problem is that the Lakers want too much right now," said the Kings source. "We can't gut our team. That wouldn't make any sense. Maybe two, three years ago, when Shaq was a little younger you would have to think about it, but not now."

Some league executives, including Kings president Geoff Petrie, even remain skeptical about the perceived inevitability of a Shaq-Kobe breakup.

"It doesn't make sense," said Petrie, who confirmed Friday that he has spoken with Kupchak, "that with what the Lakers have been able to accomplish with those two guys, that they show him (Shaq) the door before they even know they're keeping Kobe.

"That's not anything I've been told, just what I think. And any time you have a player of Shaq's caliber come up, it always fuels a lot of speculation. But until they decide they're going to do something, nobody can touch him."