In terms of Kobe getting his money, I always took this action and his words afterwards as his lack of trust in the front office. There was and still is no reason to believe that anyone with a serious mind would consider Lakers as their destination, Kobe or no Kobe. It is also probable that once Nash-Kobe-Howard broke up, it was a sign for Kobe to get what's his. He also could have known that he was only minor tweak away from potentially serious injury.
I do not think that Kobe's "cut" of Lakers payroll needs to be justified. It is what it is. Without knowing everything it is hard to make a clear judgment. What if Kobe was only interested in taking a paycut if it guaranteed being favorites to the title? There was no combination of players that would have given him a free pass to the Finals, even re-signing to the minimum. Kobe was always there to win the title, not compete for it. If he was not going to the Finals, he was going to get paid.
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