At the end of a successful season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Lamar Odom hopes to spend another year in the Lakers’ lineup along with Trevor Ariza. Starting July, both Odom and Ariza are scheduled to become free agents and in a hope of renewing their contracts, Odom is looking for some positive signals from the Lakers management.
“You want to keep a team together. We just won a championship, you don’t want to see one piece not there. Hopefully we can keep everybody.”
A 20-minute exit interview saw Odom sit with coach Phil Jackson and general manager Mitch Kupchak, coming out of which, Odom jokingly said that his contract shouldn’t take long, “In and out, 3 years, 80 million.” 
Kobe Bryant, the man who led Lakers to the title, also has an option of terminating the remaining two years of his contract and turning a free agent on the same day. He will be meeting the exit interview panel on Friday to discuss his future with the team.
Odom was instrumental in the Lakers’ success and with 12.3 points per game and 9.1 rebounds during the playoffs, certainly played a key role while costing the team $14.1 million dollars. With the economy looking dark, offers for free agents might drop and with lower price tags, things will not look good for the 30-year old if he turns free agent.
Ariza’s defense against Hedo Turkoglu in the finals was certainly a point to be noted as the Lakers’ player averaged 11.3 points, 2.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds per playoff game. Ariza did mention that he wants to return to his hometown now, to pursue his NBA career.
“It’s always difficult, especially the economic times we’re in now,” Odom said. “I got to make a decision that is best for my family. At this point in my career, I owned a home, I owned a car, done pretty well. Everything I do now is for them and their kids. It’s my time to pay that back to my family.”
Odom is certain that he will not shift base even if offered a starting spot by another team. “I won my first championship coming off the bench, that doesn’t make a difference,” he said.
Odom does hope to get more minutes per game if he stays as the Lakers’ point guard or small forward as his rebounding stats have drastically taken a hike. The coach and GM’s words may have encouraged him further as they asked him to stay in shape and hit the gym during time off. They also asked him to lay off a little when it comes to the social side of life.
“We won a championship, I’m 29, decent looking,” he said, smiling. “When we go out, I’m well-received, so they want me to take care of myself.
“I go out to a restaurant, everyone stands up and claps, go to the supermarket and everyone starts clapping.
“I think they’re very interested in bringing me back, I want to be back,” he said. “It’s real important. Got another chance to win another championship and continue to get better. With this group of guys we got, the sky’s the limit how good we can be.”