Now isn't this interesting, from ESPN's J.A. Adande and Marc Stein...
One source close to the process said Odom will come away with a guaranteed $27 million from the new contract, matching the original value of the three-year, $27 million deal Lakers owner Jerry Buss pulled off the table earlier this month.
It's believed that the structure of the new deal calls for Odom to earn $25 million over the first three seasons, with the Lakers owing him $2 million in the fourth year if they elect not to pick up their team option.
...
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.
Please vote and discuss.
Update: 3:21PM ... ESPN has revised its story to remove the 5 year/40 million dollar figures from the report.
Alright, then.
Update: 6:33PM ... ESPN has revised its story again, this time removing Portland from the discussion entirely.
One source close to Odom told ESPN that the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday tried to join the bidding with a potential five-year, $40 million bid. Yet that would have required Portland to trade a player such as Travis Outlaw to a team with salary-cap space like Oklahoma City, thereby creating the cap space to make such an offer after the Blazers' recent signing of free-agent guard Andre Miller.
"It's not true," Odom's agent Jeff Schwartz said Thursday night. "I've had no discussions this week with the Blazers about Lamar."
That sounds more like it.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)