I have no idea what is going on between the Los Angeles Lakers and free agent forward Lamar Odom, but it’s getting a bit wacky. How a man turns down sure money from the defending champions is simply mind-boggling. Well, let’s take a look at the scenario.
Apparently there were two deals on the table, according to an L.A. newspaper, one deal worth $30 million over three seasons and another worth $36 million over four seasons. Both have now been yanked by Los Angeles because Odom wouldn’t return their calls while pondering the offers and he was still talking to the Mavericks and the Heat.
Just what the hell was the Candy Man thinking by not returning the Lakers’ calls? There is no possible way that he can get a bigger contract than any of those offers anywhere else. The only thing that either Dallas or Miami could offer Lamar is the midlevel exception, which is roughly $5.8 million per year. Would Lamar really take a hefty pay cut and less guaranteed years to go to an inferior team and get out of the City of Angels? It sounds preposterous, but maybe there’s something wrong out there on the coast.
There is a sign-and-trade possibility; I think so and so does ESPN’s Chris Sheridan. Sheridan mentioned that Dallas could send Josh Howard to L.A. or Miami could potentially part with former first-overall pick Michael Beasley; the latter of which I feel very doubtful about.
In the end, I think Odom comes crawling back to the Lakers, says that he’ll take something like three seasons at $9-million and all will be forgiven. Then, can you really bet against the Lakers at least making the NBA Finals? I don’t think so.