Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak believes that superstar guard Kobe Bryant will retire after his current contract with the team.

Bryant signed a fresh two-year deal worth $48.5 million in November 2013 and is showing this season that he can still compete with the league's best players. The 36-year-old superstar is averaging a league-best 25.5 points to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this season. He is also 31 points away from surpassing NBA legend Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list.

But while Bryant is still among the best players in the league, Kupchak said that all signs are indicating that the 19-year veteran will retire when his contract ends after the 2015-16 NBA season.

"All indications are, to me, from him, that this (two-year contract) is going to be it," Kupchak told David Aldridge of NBA.com. "If somebody's thinking of buying a ticket three years from now to see Kobe play, I would not do that. Don't wait. Do it this year."

Bryant has been vocal about his desire to win his sixth NBA championship before he retires, but the Lakers' current situation shows that his goal is a long shot at this point. The Lakers are currently 14th in the Western Conference standings with their 6-16 record.

Bryant has also been slowed down by injuries over the past several years. He underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon in 2013 and injured his knee when he made his return during the 2013-14 NBA season.

When asked about his future in Los Angeles recently, Bryant said he is unsure if he will still play after his current deal with the Lakers runs out. He pointed out, though, that he is still enjoying the daily grind in the NBA and will only retire if that excitement is gone.

"It's a lifestyle, an absolute around-the-clock lifestyle. There's no getting away from it," Bryant told Yahoo Sports. "I've always enjoyed that aspect of it, the process of it, the building of it. But there will come a point when I don't anymore, and then it will be over for me."

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