From Emplay's article ... This is a great compromise IMO. Odom gets a chance to repeat as Champion with a fair market salary and then has the opportunity to make more next season when half the league has cap space for the 2010 free agent class. The Lakers will also have more financial flexibility if they and Odom want to do it again. The $7 to $7.5M is the number I'm also hearing the Lakers are offering Odom.
Let him sign a 1 year deal for $7.5 million. He'll just be another year older in a much deeper FA class. He won't get shit next summer, either.
I don't get why Lamar is holding out on us right now. There isn't much of a market for him right now. The only team with any type of cap space right now that could be interested in him is Portland, and they're already stockpiled on SFs and have this guy named Lamarcus Aldridge at the PF. He makes no sense for them because they'd just have to make another deal, getting rid of either Batum, Fernandez, Outlaw or Webster.
It's puzzling why Odom doesn't just sign with LA already. I mean, he owes alot to the Lakers and as what Moo said, only LA can offer him big money and still be logical since Portland is loaded at the 3 spot, and has a potential all-star in the 4. I think we should nab him for 3 years with a player option at the 3rd year. 8M is good IMO.
Lamar has been overpaid a bit for years, he owes us. Sign already, we're probably offering you the most as it is. If we give him a few more years I wouldn't be upset though.
So, that means that this contract negotiation will probably be decided in the coming days. Still, I believe that with Ron now in the fold, it just gives more probability that Lamar signs back.
Odom can want $10 million. When is he going to learn nobody wants him. If a team was going to offer him $10 million, they would've done it by now. Take the 1 year $7.5 million offer and try again next off-season.
And by next off-season, with the possibility of the cap being so low, he's gonna sign back with LA anyways.
It's good news, and a positive that Mitch is still in constant communication with his agent. LO doesn't really have any other options open unless he just wants to screw himself over to make a point, which is doubtful, and idiotic. So I believe he should be back soon. Probably just waiting on the final hope that Portland will throw him big bucks, even though they only have about 7.7 million to spend.
Yeah his agent isn't PMSing like David Lee, I think Lamar really wants to stay but he has to milk us for the most he can before signing.
It's been pretty much assured that LA's gonna regain Odom the moment that Portland said they weren't interested.
