DIVAC TRADE FIGURES TO BECOME OFFICIAL.

Byline: Marc Stein Daily News Staff Writer

The Lakers won't be able to contact free-agent center Shaquille O'Neal until after 2 p.m. today at the earliest, but the scheduled lifting of a league-wide moratorium at that hour would at last clear them to send Vlade Divac to Charlotte for prep phenom Kobe Bryant.

The all-but-official trade was agreed to on draft night late last month and then saved by the Hornets and Divac's wife, who convinced the veteran center to back off his threat to retire.

Now there are tentative plans for Bryant to be introduced to the L.A. media on Friday at a news conference. There's also a slight chance he could play in the Lakers' summer-league game Friday afternoon at Long Beach State, but it's more likely that Bryant will debut Saturday against Detroit at 5 p.m.

All that, of course, is contingent on the moratorium being lifted, which was supposed to happen Tuesday. NBA commissioner David Stern instead called for a lockout, but announced 90 minutes later that the league would reopen for business this afternoon at 2 provided that the new labor agreement is finalized.

It was the second time the start of the off-season was pushed back, further delaying a free-agent frenzy that will be highlighted by the Lakers' pursuit of O'Neal.

Lakers officials continue to vehemently deny the widespread notion that they've already struck a deal with the Orlando center, which would constitute a violation of league rules.