The Los Angeles Lakers would be best to think long and hard about re-signing Kobe Bryant to a long-term deal when his contract is up at the end of the season.

Considering his age and his current injury, even if Bryant recovers and bounces back to play near his All-World, Hall of Fame caliber level of play, one has to wonder how much "Bean" has left in the tank before signing him to a long-term contract.

Lakers vice president of basketball operations, Jim Buss, reiterated on Friday that he fully believes Bryant will sign an extension on his current deal and will not test free agency in 2014, a free agent class that may also include Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks and LeBron James of the Miami Heat.

"I want to put an end to any speculation that we would allow Kobe to become a free agent," Buss told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "That's not going to happen. Kobe is a top priority for us. He's a Laker legend and always will be. I don't think we're done winning championships with him yet."

Bryant, 35, a 17-year veteran in the National Basketball Association (NBA), is in the final year of his current deal that will pay him $30.5 million this season, the highest salary in the league. Considering that Los Angeles will only have PG Steve Nash, SG Nick Young, and C Robert Sacre on the roster next season, the Lakers have freed up a lot of salary cap room to rebuild the franchise.

In theory, Bryant's return to the franchise seems like a no-brainer move for the Lakers ownership, but considering the constraints a salary cap can create for a team, signing Bryant to a contract longer than 2-to-3 years does not seem like a smart sports business move--especially with younger, high-caliber, franchise players out on the free agent market like James and Anthony.

Don't get me wrong, money is not the issue. The Lakers can pay Bryant more than other teams, should he become a free agent because he has "Bird Rights" - meaning Los Angeles can go above the salary cap to re-sign him. But the more important question, rather than dollar figures, is this: How long do you want to marry yourself to an older player coming back from a very serious injury who, by all logical sense, will only decline in skills during the life of his contract?

And even "The Black Mamba" is very self-aware that you cannot beat Father Time or biology.

"I have to make sure I'm ready because now that I'm older I have to worry about the rest of my body compensating for where I was injured," Bryant told the Orange County Register. "At this age other things can go quickly if you're not really ready."

All this could be a moot point if Bryant does not play at the level the Lakers and NBA fans have come to expect of him. But if the "Black Mamba" comes back to the team, excelling at the same caliber of play fans and ownership are accustomed to seeing every single night, Buss has a serious decision to make in regards to whether to pay Bryant for past merits or investing in him with an eye towards the future of the franchise. It's a dilemma that Bryant has in mind as the new NBA season starts up.

"I have to make sure I'm ready because now that I'm older I have to worry about the rest of my body compensating for where I was injured," said Bryant. "At this age other things can go quickly if you're not really ready."