As recently as Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers and free-agent forward Lamar Odom appeared to be close to signing a new deal.
Two days later, the Lakers have retracted their offer to Odom, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The report says that Lakers owner Jerry Buss became
increasingly upset with Odom for not responding for more than a week to
an offer on the table and decided to halt negotiations.
“Yes, we have taken the deal off the table. Talks have broken down
for the time being,” the team’s PR director told the L.A. Times, adding
that the team could possibly resume talks in the future.
According to reports, Odom and his agent, Jeff Schwartz,
were seeking a five-year deal worth $10 million per season. The Lakers
reportedly offered a four-year deal worth $9 million a season. Sources
told the L.A. Times that Odom wanted to sign the offer but “he has
failed to convince his agent.”
ESPN.com reports
that the Lakers never put a deadline on the offer to Odom, adding that
if Odom were to sign with the Dallas Mavericks or Miami Heat for less
money, the tax breaks in Texas and Florida could be somewhat of an
equalizer.
