This getting VERY interesting....
The Miami Heat and Lamar Odom have discussed a deal that would approach the $9 million salary the free-agent forward nearly agreed to last week with the Los Angeles Lakers before talks broke down, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has reported.
The Heat, who traded Odom to the Lakers five years ago in the trade that brought Shaquille O'Neal to South Florida, have made Odom a firm offer to return, according to The Associated Press.
Pat Riley, addressing Heat season-ticket holders in a two-day session Wednesday and Thursday that was closed to media, said the Heat were also monitoring Carlos Boozer's status with the Utah Jazz but had not entered discussions on acquiring the forward.
Riley said the team could add Odom, Boozer or both without sacrificing its goals toward 2010's free-agent class, the Sun-Sentinel reported, citing people in attendance at the private sit-ins and sources involved in the Heat's dealings.
Florida's lack of state taxes and other payment options give the Heat the ability to offer Odom a contract matching the scrapped Lakers deal, the Fort Lauderdale newspaper reported.
Sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that Odom had balked at the Lakers' unwillingness to extend an offer spanning more than three years in length.
"There are specifics behind why we pulled it, but that's not something we're going to get into," Lakers public relations director John Black said.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Lakers owner Jerry Buss offered Odom two deals, one worth $36 million for four years and the other $10 million a season for three years.
Odom, who will turn 30 in November, made $14.1 million this past season.
Dwyane Wade, who spent much of his rookie season picking Odom's brain, said he hopes those chats start again soon.
"I want Lamar to do what's best for him and his family because we love him as family, but on the other hand, we want him back home, to come home," Wade said Friday in a telephone interview with the AP. "His house is still there. It'd be exciting to see what happens."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
[ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4336149"]NBA free agents: Miami Heat, free agent Lamar Odom talk return, sources say - ESPN[/ame]
Hey HD, remember when you questioned WHY south Florida is sooo supposedly an attractive for athletes..the underlined passage is really almost all you need.
