NBA Trade Rumors & News: Kobe Bryant to Washington Wizards or NY Knicks? Nene and Bradley Beal for Lakers Star

Is Kobe Bryant really going to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, struggling with a 1-5 record, for a shot at a championship this late in his career? That question is not dying down any time soon.

Sam Smith, in an NBA.com column, said that the win the Lakers chalked up in the league for 2014 on Nov. 10 against the Charlotte Hornets must not blind anyone from the pressing issue — the team's rebuilding phase and how the superstar is slowing it down.

"...[A]s much as Lakers' fans believe it's about Kobe, Lakers' management would have to jump at a chance for a young star to accelerate their rebuilding. Which is why Kobe to the [Washington] Wizards may be the one," Smith said in his column.

He said it would be a win-win solution for both, who have nonexistent shots at the championship. Nene and Bradley Beal could be traded to the Lakers so Bryant can work his magic on the Wizards with the likes of Paul Pierce, John Wall and Marcin Gortat.

HNGN thinks Smith is a "lone voice," as most analysts think the obvious choice would be a reunion with Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher, president and head coach of the New York Knicks. The trade would be a downgrade for the Wizards which is now building its roster around Beal and Wall, the report added.

Besides, Sports Illustrated said, Bryant on Tuesday broke the record for most missed shots in the regular season, topping Boston Celtics legend John Havlicek's 13,418 with 18 fewer games.

With a miss from the mid-range in the fourth quarter, the fourth-ranked in all-time scorer erased Havlicek's record, the report said.

Bryant, 36, has shot 45.3 percent from the field and has an average of 25.5 points per game over his 19 seasons, it added. He is also suffering from lackluster stats in field goals.

NJ.com reported that the migration to the Knicks would be the stronger possibility, noting that the Lakers' current struggle should get Bryant to think.

Former teammate Rick Fox agrees to the scenario, saying on "Larry King Now" that with his years in the NBA numbered, Bryant might opt to switch for a team with a legitimate bid for a championship.

"I think with Phil in New York right now and I think, [Bryant] finishing his career in the next two-three years in LA, there's not a real opportunity for him to win a championship here, the thought of him leaving may shock Laker fans," Fox told King, the clip available on YouTube.

He added: "I wouldn't put it past him going in search of another one or two championships, and I believe personally that's gonna get done in New York, I really do ... so the reuniting of the two, I think, is unrealistic."