It may be "case closed" for Kobe Bryant before his rape trial ever starts. "Extra" has learned there's a deal in the works that would keep the basketball superstar out of court and out of prison.

"Celebrity Justice’s" Executive Producer Harvey Levin broke the story. "We know that the prosecutor and Kobe Bryant’s lawyers have talked about Kobe pleading to a non-sex crime such as third-degree assault. For something like that, Kobe Bryant would probably get probation; he would not have to register as a sex offender and the criminal case would go away."

This shocking development comes just one day after Sports Illustrated dropped a bomb in the Kobe case, reporting that a 22-year-old waitress claimed Bryant groped her during a Thanksgiving Day party at Shaquille O’Neal’s mansion in Orlando, two years go.

Meanwhile, according to attorneys for Bryant’s accuser, court mistakes that revealed information about her sexual past have given her second thoughts about proceeding with the rape trial.

"There’s also a negotiation going on in a civil case, a possible civil case between the accuser and Kobe," Levin told us. "They’re talking about a financial settlement as well as a letter of apology from Kobe Bryant."

Despite these developments, a spokesperson for the Eagle County District Attorneys office told "Extra," "We're still moving forward with the prosecution of this case. Nothing has changed."

Kobe's trial is scheduled to begin in Colorado August 27th.