Odom May Stay, but Arenas Lost

When the sun rose Monday, the Clippers envisioned the dawn of a bright future that included both Lamar Odom and Gilbert Arenas.

By the time the sun had set, however, that future remained murky with Arenas lost and Odom still in limbo.

Arenas, the Golden State Warrior point guard who was arguably the best player still available on the free-agent market, committed Monday evening to a six-year, $64-million offer from the Washington Wizards. The Clippers had gone as high as $60 million for Arenas, who played at Grant High in Van Nuys.

It may have been attractive for Arenas to return home, but the Clipper offer wasn’t solid. It depended on the organization’s first coming to an agreement with Odom, a restricted free agent who counts $10.6-million toward the salary cap. The Clippers needed to free up about $3 million from that amount and cut elsewhere to secure Arenas under the current cap limit of $43.8 million.

The Clippers offered Odom, a small forward, a three-year, $24-million deal. But as negotiations with Jeff Schwartz, Odom’s agent, dragged on Monday, Arenas, through his agent, Dan Fegan, chose the nation’s capital.

“Gilbert has made his decision,” Fegan said. “He is going to sign

“I would have no problem in the future sending players to the Clippers. This is an organization that now understands what it has to do to get players. I think it sends a new signal to the market.”

The Clippers put up $142 million in a 48-hour period, having matched an $82-million Miami Heat offer sheet for forward Elton Brand on Saturday, while actively pursuing Arenas. In the past, the Clippers were known for reacting to other offers for their own players rather than initiating a big offer of their own.

Despite the Clippers’ impressive bid to sign Odom, whom owner Donald Sterling is eager to retain, the team now faces stiff competition from the Heat. Having lost Brand, Miami has about $12 million to spend and can offer Odom as much as $10.9 million per season. The Heat is not expected to go that high, but team President and Coach Pat Riley wants to meet with Odom either here or in Miami.

And with the urgency and leverage to sign with the Clippers gone with Arenas no longer a factor, Schwartz and Odom are expected to listen to Riley before proceeding with the Clippers.

The Clippers still need to make decision on whether to retain forward Corey Maggette and point guard Andre Miller, both of whom have signed offer sheets with other teams.