Clippers Moving to Keep Odom

The Clippers have begun negotiations intended to take Lamar Odom off the market, but then, so have the Denver Nuggets.

Nugget General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe flew to Los Angeles to meet with Odom last week. Miami, another interested party, is out of it until July 31, with its money locked up in the offer sheet to the Clippers’ Elton Brand, but Odom’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, says there’s another interested team or two out there too.

Like Brand and Corey Maggette, who signed offer sheets that Clipper officials say they’ll match, Odom is a restricted free agent, giving the team the right of first refusal.

Unlike Brand, however, Schwartz says Odom is willing to sign the one-year qualifying offer with the Clippers if he doesn’t like the deal, in the hope of having a good season and attracting more interest as an unrestricted free agent next summer.

“There’s a lot of interest in him,” Schwartz said Friday. “There are about four teams that are very interested in him.

“Lamar’s a great kid and he’s working his butt off this summer. If they’re not going to give him his market value, then he’s not going to do a deal just to do a deal.... He’s comfortable with a one-year deal. I think he knows the type of player he is and if it takes one more year for the league to see that, that’s what he’ll do.”

Unlike most Clipper negotiations, which seem doomed from the start, Odom is a peculiar figure in the organization. To start with, he is a favorite of Clipper owner Donald Sterling, who usually has little involvement with any of his players, going back to Odom’s first two seasons, which were so promising.

However, he was often injured his last two seasons, playing in only 78 of the 164 games, and a diminishing factor when sound, averaging 14 points, compared to 17 for his first two.

Nor was he responsible or diligent in his rehabilitation. Once, wearing a cast on his left wrist, he dunked a basketball right-handed, fell on the ball, suffered an ankle injury and tacked weeks more onto his stay on the injured list.

Nonetheless, the Clippers know how rare a talent they have in this 6-foot-11, ball-handling small forward.

“The Clippers have stuck by him and he feels some loyalty to them,” Schwartz said. “Elgin [Baylor, the general manager] has stuck by him. If it’s the right deal, Lamar is fine with staying here.”

The uncertainty poses an additional problem for the Clippers’ chances of pursuing Gilbert Arenas, which seem to be diminishing.

With the Wizards reportedly offering $60 million over six years in a deal starting at $8 million, the Clippers must get Odom signed and arrange to dump $3 million to $5 million worth of salary to make a bid.

Clipper representatives met with Arenas and his agent, Dan Fegan, on Thursday, but Fegan didn’t give them a price and the Clippers didn’t make an offer.

Arenas was to meet Friday with the Golden State Warriors, who can offer a deal starting at only $4.9 million.

*

(Begin Text of Infobox)

Shipping Out

A look at some notable players who have left the Clippers via free agency since the 1992-93 season:

*--* AFTER 1992-93 SEASON Jaren Jackson, G, signed with Portland Ken Norman, F, signed with Atlanta AFTER 1993-94 SEASON Ron Harper, G, signed with Chicago AFTER 1994-95 SEASON Gary Grant, G, signed with New York AFTER 1995-96 SEASON Antonio Harvey, F, signed with Seattle AFTER 1996-97 SEASON Bo Outlaw, F, signed with Orlando AFTER 1997-98 SEASON Isaac Austin, C, signed with Orlando Loy Vaught, F, signed with Detroit AFTER 1998-99 SEASON Sherman Douglas, G, signed with N.J Darrick Martin, G, signed with Sacramento Rodney Rogers, F, signed with Phoenix AFTER 1999-00 SEASON Derek Anderson, G, signed with San Ant Maurice Taylor, F, signed with Houston AFTER 2000-01 SEASON Cherokee Parks, F, signed with San Antonio AFTER 2001-02 SEASON Jeff McInnis, G, signed with Portland AFTER 2002-03 SEASON Michael Olowokandi, C, signed with Minn

*--*