Lamar Odom has agreed to sign with...

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Source: Odom, Lakers agree on deal
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By J.A. Adande and Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Free agent forward Lamar Odom will return to the Los Angeles Lakers, an NBA source said Thursday.

Odom will sign a four-year contract, with the fourth year at the team option, the source said. One source with knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com the four-year deal is worth $33 million if the Lakers exercise the final year of the contract.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak declined comment and Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz, did not immediately return a voice mail.

Odom's signing was the most significant free agent move left to play out this summer, as it restores a pivotal piece to the Lakers' championship team. The versatile, 6-foot-9 Odom averaged 11.3 points and 8.2 rebounds during the regular season and 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds during the playoffs, despite injuring his back in a fall during the Western Conference semifinals against Houston.

Odom's destination for the 2009-10 season had remained in doubt after the Lakers pulled an initial offer of a reported $27 million guaranteed over three years off the table. As the other franchises with significant salary cap space spent their money elsewhere, the Miami Heat emerged as a serious contender for Odom's services. On Tuesday, the Portland Trail Blazers also got into the mix, offering a five-year, $40 million deal, according to a source close to Odom.

With Dwyane Wade publicly lobbying for Odom to rejoin him in South Beach, the Heat offered a deal worth up to $34 million over five years. The fact that Odom didn't jump at it despite the cooled tone of negotiations with the Lakers indicated his desire to return to Los Angeles, and the longer the saga dragged out the greater the chances seemed that he would be back.

With Odom back in the fold the Lakers would have their top five scorers and top four rebounders from the 2009 championship on the roster to begin the title defense. The only significant loss is forward Trevor Ariza, who left to sign a contract with the Houston Rockets after the Lakers signed former Rocket Ron Artest.

J.A. Adande and Marc Stein are NBA reporters for ESPN.com. ESPN's Shelley Smith contributed to this report.

['EclipZe]

good one for the lakers, they keep everyone except Ariza, but they get artest for him. fair enough.

[OchoCinco]

nice.

[sprite]

what a fool... Lamar lost the card game!

coulda done 3 for 30 or 4 for 36

[Sparegeez]

Celtics are still gonna smash

[LooN3y]

Celtics are still gonna smash

fuck no, we just ensured a 2nd ring, right now we just kept our position as the nba team fav.

[LooN3y]

2009-2010 ROSTER

PG - Derek Fisher/Jordan Farmar/Shannon Brown
SG - Kobe Bryant/Sasha Vujacic
SF - Ron Artest/Luke Walton/Adam Morrison
PF - Pau Gasol/Lamar Odom/Josh Powell
C - Andrew Bynum/DJ Mbenga

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

This was huge for the Lakers.  I think picking up Artest would have been irrelevant if they didnt resign Odom.

[LooN3y]

This was huge for the Lakers.  I think picking up Artest would have been irrelevant if they didnt resign Odom.

of course, i mean think about it if we lost odom, that means we lost odom AND ariza for artest. that would of been horrible.

[7even]

what a faggot signing for less money like that

shows how he just used the heat to milk the lakers

i would smash his face in if i was wade

[sprite]

the 4th year is an option

so basically he turned down 3 for $30 and went with 3 for $25  

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

what a faggot signing for less money like that

shows how he just used the heat to milk the lakers

i would smash his face in if i was wade

actually, you gotta wonder with this might do for Wades future with the Heat. He wants to be a serious contender, and Odom might have helped make them a little more legitimate in the East. They still wouldnt compete for a title. But I wonder if not getting Odom will really cement the idea of Wade leaving Miami.

[thisoneguy360]

what a faggot signing for less money like that

shows how he just used the heat to milk the lakers

i would smash his face in if i was wade

LOL why are you so emotional about it

[Teddy Roosevelt]

what a faggot signing for less money like that

shows how he just used the heat to milk the lakers

i would smash his face in if i was wade

LOL why are you so emotional about it

This is nothing compared to how he reacted when the Lakers got Gasol. LOL.

[OG Hack Wilson]

glad he's staying in the western conference



just hope Boozer stays out of Miami