Can the Lakers Re-Sign Lamar Odom?

The Lakers officially signed Ron Artest yesterday (June 8 ) but are still far apart in negotiations with unrestricted free agent Lamar Odom. The reason for the delay is likely the NBA’s announcement of a lower salary cap for next season, with the cap falling for only the second time since it first appeared in 1984. The Lakers were way over the salary cap and consequently dropped in the luxury-tax threshold from $71.15 million last season to $69.9 million next season.

The Lakers would pay an additional $12.26 million in luxury-tax penalties with their current roster (which doesn’t include Odom) because they have already committed $83.78 million to 12 players next season. Although Odom might not see the $10-million annual salary he was hoping for, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak told the L.A. Times he hoped Odom would still come back saying, “I don’t know how strong a word that [hopeful] is, but I am hopeful. I’d like to get some clarity in the next day or two or three, but knowing Lamar, it’s an emotional time for him, I know he had to get away little bit. I think Lamar just needs to work his way through it. Maybe it’s helpful for him to see other players sign for whatever they signed for, and maybe it’s easier to see where you fit into that group.” Read the full article at the LATimes.com.

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