Yet it's believed that Odom has indeed received offers from the
Miami Heat and
Dallas Mavericks that -- because
neither Florida nor Texas imposes state taxes -- are not as far away in value from the Lakers' presentation as it would seem.
Odom would have the ability with either the Heat or the Mavericks to sign a three-year, $19 million contract and negotiate a new deal with full Larry Bird rights in the summer of 2012 or take
a five-year deal worth $34 million to bank more overall money, along with the state-tax benefits, than he could in a new three-year deal with the Lakers.