Lamar Odom Leaving Los Angeles Lakers?

Lamar Odom could be leaving the Los Angeles Lakers now after a breakdown in contract talks between the Lakers and Lamar Odom. After contract talks appeared to be nearing conclusion, it seems that Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss became upset with the actions of Lamar Odom and his agent during the process. Now it looks as though the marriage between Lamar Odom and the Lakers could be nearing a conclusion as Odom has now become available to sign with other NBA Franchises.

At issue right now, is a contract offer that the Lakers said they offered to Lamar Odom. The reported contract offer from the Lakers was for three years and $27 million total, netting Lamar Odom a yearly salary of $9 million to stay with the Lakers. It seems though, that Lamar Odom and his agent began mulling over the contract offer and took too long getting back to owner Jerry Buss about whether or not he would sign it. It appears that Buss took offense to the contract being left on the table for so long, and that coupled with rumors that Odom was talking with several other teams about joining them, may have been one too many grievances for Buss to absorb.

From the Lamar Odom camp, reports stated that he was looking for a deal that was longer than three years in length, and that it would have been for more money in the long-term. Lamar Odom is only 29-years-old, and he and his agent probably assumed that he has at least five more years of valuable contributions he could make in the NBA. The Lakers disagreed, and with the acquisition of Ron Artest already in the off-season, seem to not be moving any higher than the three-years at $27 million total. Now the next question becomes who will budge first, and which side of the negotiations wants this to happen the most. Will Buss and the Lakers realize they need Odom and head back to make another offer, or will Odom realize that there isn't a better offer on the free agent market right now?

Anything is possible in the NBA, but it is clear that the Lakers really need some sort of spark to come off of their bench if they want to compete with teams on an even keel next season. Having Lamar Odom as their sixth man meant always having an advantage when the back-ups were on the court, and that is an important caveat to the NBA. In regards to what Lamar Odom should do, that becomes a little trickier. First of all, the Lakers are telling him to take a huge pay cut (he made $14 million last season) and there may be better offers on the market right now. If the money dries up though, he could be coming back to the Lakers for less money than the last offer. It's a tricky situation, and all Lakers and Lamar Odom fans are getting caught in the middle waiting for an indecisive superstar and a cranky owner to make up their minds.

Source: ESPN