POSSIBLE TRADE IN LIMBO : DIVAC MAY RETIRE IF DEALT TO HORNETS.

Byline: Marc Stein Daily News Staff Writer

A draft-night deal that seemed very real to the Lakers and Charlotte Hornets is, at least for the moment, a real mess.

All because Vlade Divac, rather than report to his new team in North Carolina, apparently will uphold his vow to retire from the NBA as soon as the Lakers officially trade him for prep phenom Kobe Bryant.

It's a swap the sides agreed to Wednesday, with Charlotte selecting Bryant for the Lakers with the 13th overall pick in hopes of landing Divac as its successor to Alonzo Mourning.

The Hornets, however, belatedly learned what sources close to Divac told the Daily News on Tuesday - that the longtime Lakers center was prepared to walk away from the game, and thus forfeit nearly $8.5 million over the final two years of his current contract, before moving his family out of Los Angeles.

Charlotte management apparently consented to the exchange without first feeling out Divac's agent, Marc Fleisher.

``I've heard that the Hornets are still going to go ahead with the trade, which is truly their prerogative,'' said Fleisher, who failed in two overseas phone calls Thursday to convince Divac to reconsider his stance.

``I understand why the Lakers would want to do it, but I don't understand why the Hornets would, unless their egos are such that they think they can change Vlade's mind.

``They won't.''

Various league sources nonetheless insist that the trade will be consummated Monday, barring another NBA lockout. Even if Divac was willing to play for the Hornets, the teams can't finalize things until July 1, when the salary cap rises to $24.3 million and allows the Hornets to accommodate Divac's $4,137,000 salary.

In the meantime, Charlotte has been besieged with offers from other clubs for the 17-year-old Bryant.

First-hand reactions from Divac, Bryant and Lakers executive vice president Jerry West were unavailable. With the trade in limbo, Divac is in Germany with the Serbian national team preparing for the Summer Olympics, Bryant is home in Philadelphia awaiting his fate and West is now in Hawaii to run his annual fantasy camp.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said there will be no comment from the team - or response to Divac's Forum-or-nowhere platform - until ``a deal is done.''

``I don't know what's going on,'' new Hornets coach Dave Cowens told the Charlotte media at a Thursday morning news conference. ``All I can say is, we did our part. Now we've got to wait on the other guys to come through.

``It concerns me because it's not done. It's just out there right now.''

According to two league sources, the trade is irreversible. But there was also much speculation Thursday that the Lakers would offer other players - like Cedric Ceballos and/or Anthony Peeler - to the Hornets.

Charlotte vice president Bob Bass, whose sole aim in the draft was to acquire a quality center either with the 13th pick or via trade, disputed both of the preceding scenarios.

Confident that the Divac-for-Bryant transaction will be completed in ``its current configuration,'' Bass added that ``if it doesn't work out, we've still got a heck of a player in Kobe Bryant.''

``And we'll keep him,'' Bass said.

That would certainly disappoint Bryant and probably shatter West, who was openly beaming Wednesday night when it became apparent that the swingman from Lower Merion (Pa.) High School was bound for L.A.

Given that the move would add $2.8 million to the $6-9 million already set aside for the pursuit of free agent-to-be Shaquille O'Neal and provide the Lakers with a teen-ager who has excited basketball scouts everywhere, West's initial glee was understandable.

If a lockout can be averted, West will return from Hawaii over the weekend to welcome Bryant and No. 24 overall pick Derek Fisher of Arkansas-Little Rock as new Lakers.

``Kobe is ecstatic about the prospect of being a Laker,'' said Arn Tellem, Bryant's L.A.-based agent. ``Absolutely, this is where he'd like to be. For him it's a dream come true.''

That is exactly how Divac viewed his move from Partizan Belgrade to the Lakers in 1989. He was drafted 26th overall in the first round that summer, but didn't mind going so low, since Los Angeles met his chief criteria as a cosmopolitan city with a large Serbian population.

Over the next seven seasons, while teasing Lakers fans with hints of brilliance, he has grown to view L.A. as a second home, the only other place besides his native country that he could inhabit.

According to Fleisher, Divac was planning to retire anyway at the end of his current contract, which has two years left, to let wife Ana pursue her acting career. Divac has been unavailable for comment while training for the Olympics, but the agent maintains that the 28-year-old is in a financial position that's sufficiently comfortable to pass on the next two years.

``This has nothing to do with Charlotte,'' Fleisher said. ``I asked Vlade if there's any team you would go to. He said, `Sure, Chicago,' but Vlade was laughing so I didn't take him seriously.

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