This just in.

This just in:

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics consummated the largest trade in NBA history today, as the Lakers sent disgruntled star Kobe Bryant to the Celtics for Tony Allen, Esteban Batista, Glen Davis, Eddie House, Dahntay Jones, Jackie Manuel, Kendrick Perkins, Scot Pollard, James Posey, Leon Powe, Gabe Pruitt, Rajon Rondo, Brian Scalabrine and Brandon Wallace. Lakers owner Jerry Buss said, "Kobe Bryant has had a long and glorious career here in Los Angeles, but it's time for him to go somewhere else. Somewhere else far away."

Sources close to the Lakers confirm that the team entertained offers from other teams, some of which were more attractive, but that Buss was adamant on sending Bryant as far away as possible. At a distance of 2600 miles from Los Angeles as the crow flies, Boston is farther from Los Angeles than any other city with an NBA franchise. League sources suggest that Buss had lobbied NBA Commissioner David Stern to award an expansion franchise to Yellow Knife, Yukon, but apparently he was unwilling to put up with Bryant any longer.

At a news conference, Lakers sources proclaimed that they had received fair value in exchange for Bryant. Assistant General Manager Troy Wolters said, "We're confident that at least some of these guys belong on an NBA roster. Our training camp should be pretty interesting." Off the record, however, some members of the Lakers organization expressed embarrassment that the team had traded for Scot Pollard.

The trade leaves the Celtics with four stars in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant, but with no other players on the roster. Sources close to the Celtics confirm that the trade was held up in the final hours as the Celtics organization obtained an interpretation of NBA rules that will permit the team to place its second-round pick in the 2008 NBA Draft on the floor as a fifth player.