LAKERS : Lakers Are Offering Pfund One-Year Contract Extension

HONOLULU — A few months after he reportedly was on the verge of being fired, Coach Randy Pfund may instead get a one-year contract extension from the Lakers.

Pfund has two seasons remaining on a three-year contract with the Lakers, who opened exhibition play here against the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Owner Jerry Buss said the offer has been on the table for some time, but the sides were unable to sit down to discuss specifics because of conflicting summer schedules. Now that everyone is together again, Buss expects the deal to get done.

“There are certain people I feel are Laker people, and Randy is one of them,” Buss said. “I offered him a year extension because I wanted to indicate to him that he would be around with us in some capacity for a long period of time.”

In some capacity?

“The kiss of death is to say, ‘No, I’d never fire my coach,’ ” Buss said. “The answer is, obviously every day of your life you should think about whether you’re going to continue the next day with your coach. That’s just part of the game. Knowing realistically how everybody looks at it, and realistically how the coaches also look at it, I wanted to tell him that, ‘You’re not in any jeopardy of not being part of the family.’ ”

Ironically, all the speculation about the uncertain future was a factor in Pfund’s getting the extension offer. Had that not existed, Buss said, there would have been no reason to make an immediate gesture.