Certainly, Bryant will have a new contract before a decision is made in his case. I think most teams will assume that Bryant will beat the rap and will not let it deter them from pursuing him. And, I'm quite sure Bryant will have no qualms about signing a long-term deal even if there's a chance he won't be able to play any of it. It would be quite funny though if a team broke the bank to get Bryant for 6 years only to have him imprisoned the whole time. Which brings up another interesting question: What happens to a player's contract when the player is imprisoned? Is he still owed the money? Will the contract be terminated? Will he be a cap hit?
I wonder if there is a provision in the CBA that allows a team to void a contract in this type of case.
Since Kobe has never carried a team to a championship, I see no reason for there to be any asterisk talk whatsoever. He is more like Pippen than he is like Jordan.