Kupchak, the Lakers' general manager, discussed the team yesterday and explained how aggressive he has been in the trade market, though he declined to answer specific questions about Bryant. Since the Lakers' season ended, Bryant has demanded immediate upgrades to the roster, lobbied for Jerry West to return to front-office power over Kupchak and Jim Buss and asked to be traded.

"I think enough has been said," Kupchak said of Bryant's situation.

Despite all styles of conjecture, the Lakers do not intend to trade Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer the past two seasons, and still hope to make peace with him.

Kupchak was pointed, however, in saying he has been working to find a good move — presumably one that would help appease Bryant and make the Lakers more immediate title contenders.

"I would say we've been more aggressive than we've ever been," Kupchak said.

Bryant's frankness in late April and May about the inability of the current roster to win a title has sparked Kupchak to pile up more long-distance phone minutes.

"Clearly the events of the last seven weeks have led to an illusion that the Lakers may be more desperate to make a move," he said. "So there have been an awful lot of phone calls and a lot of dialogue, which sometimes is good. People have a reason to call.

"(They will say) `We saw your season didn't end well. And we're hearing that you're going to make a lot of changes and you're going to be aggressive.' And it leads into a conversation. So there has been a lot more talk this year than there has been in years past."

But Kupchak hasn't enjoyed the sort of attention Bryant's squawking has caused.

"I'd prefer not to deal that way," Kupchak said. "There's nothing I can do about it. The environment is what it is. ... That's the environment that I have to deal with."

Bryant set the stage for a lively offseason by saying he had heard enough talk about the Lakers trying to get better and said: "I just want to see it get done." Then things got a lot more complicated when Bryant began saying he should be the one to go.

But Kupchak said there are plenty of players on the Lakers' roster besides Bryant to get big deals done.

"I know, based on my conversations in the last three or four weeks, that we have a lot of desirable players that other teams would like to have," Kupchak said.

Upgrading the roster could be key in pleasing Bryant and Lakers coach Phil Jackson, whose three-year, $30 million deal expires after the upcoming season. Kupchak said he, Jim Buss and team owner Jerry Buss met several weeks ago and agreed Jackson should keep coaching the Lakers.

"It was discussed again; it's really up to Phil," Kupchak said. "We'd like to extend his existing arrangement."

Jackson's agent, Todd Musburger, said recently that Bryant's outbursts aren't expected to affect negotiations on Jackson's extension — but there was an assumption that Bryant will remain a Laker. Jackson has said he returned to the Lakers in 2005 to coach Bryant again.

Kupchak said the team's need for another ball-handling guard likely will not be solved by the draft, adding that he is interested in moving the Lakers' No. 19 pick for a veteran. But he stopped short of proclaiming a trade in the next two weeks is imminent.

"There are no guarantees," he said. "There's no magic wand that you can wave to make it happen. ... Either way, we think we'll be a talented team next year. But we have been more aggressive."

Kupchak suggested the Lakers also would be willing to use their full mid-level salary-cap exception in free agency — and perhaps wind up over the luxury-tax threshold — for "a player that is going to make a difference." The NBA free-agent period begins July 1, with players allowed to sign July 11. Yet the Lakers already could have a changed roster by that time.