Trevor Ariza tried to play hardball…and lost. Lamar Odom tried to play hardball…and the Lakers aren’t budging. If anything, they’re less interested in bringing Odom back.

Odom’s choices, as of lunchtime Thursday, were the same choices he’s been mulling all week. Informed sources say the Lakers’ latest offer is in the area of $25 million over three years, down from the $27 million over three years that was taken off the table earlier this month by Lakers owner Jerry Buss.

As ESPN.com reported Monday, should the 29-year-old decide to reunite with Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley after haggling with the Lakers for so long, Odom likely will be deciding between a five-year, $34 million deal that includes a provision to return to free agency after the fourth season or a four-year deal with an opt-out clause after three years.

Keep in mind that with California’s state income tax (10% for $1 million-plus), the Lakers’ offer is essentially three years for $22.5 million, or $7.5 million per season. Florida has no state income tax, so Miami’s offer (~$6.8 million per season) looks to be the better offer since it has about $12 million more in guaranteed money. If these numbers are accurate, it makes sense why Odom is dragging this out. It seems like he wants to stay in L.A., but he doesn’t really want to take a reduced offer.

Jim Hill reported yesterday that Odom was scheduled to meet with Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade about joining the Heat.

Talks have resumed with Odom and the Lakers, but they remain pessimistic that Odom will return.

Hmm. This is the first I’ve heard about the Lakers being “pessimistic.” All of the national coverage of this story has suggested that it’s pretty much an inevitability that Odom will return to the Lakers.

The LA Times Laker Blog has this to say…

…but today on 710 ESPN’s Mason and Ireland Show, co-host/KCAL sideline reporter John Ireland said the people he’s talked with- also within the organization- remain optimistic. As he noted, kinda depends on who’s on the other end of phone…

Ramona Shelburne of InsideSoCal gives her take…

I still believe, based on recent conversations I’ve had with people who haven’t taken the vow of radio silence some of the principals in the negotiations have, that Odom will be back with L.A.

The Miami gambit is merely his best leverage at getting the Lakers to sweeten their offer. But financially, he can still make the most with the Lakers.

Earlier today, I spoke with a league source who said Odom may be toying with the idea of signing with Miami and testing free agency again in three years. If he thinks he can get a new contract after that third year, for more money, the financial picture starts to match up better.

With the way the league’s finances are going though, and the fact Odom will be 32 in three years, I can’t see him getting a better offer later. Which makes that idea a huge gamble.

The only other reason I can see Odom bolting is if he’s emotionally disappointed by how the Lakers handled the process. If he’s hurt they didn’t give him what he asked for, and merely likes the public courting the Heat have done.

Meanwhile, the oddsmakers still see the Lakers as the favorites to win the 2010 NBA Championship, with or without Lamar Odom.

“Getting [forward Ron] Artest is better than losing Lamar,” said Jay Rood, director of the MGM/Mirage Race and Sports Book. The Lakers signed free agent Artest this month. “The core of that team still is what it is, and as long as you keep Kobe [Bryant] and [Coach] Phil [Jackson], nothing changes.”

At MGM/Mirage, the Lakers are an 8-5 favorite to win the NBA title, followed by the Boston Celtics, and recent addition Rasheed Wallace, at 3-1, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Shaquille O’Neal joining LeBron James, at nearly 4-1. The Orlando Magic are 13-2 and the San Antonio Spurs are 7-1.

“We didn’t change anything when they got Artest, and if they lose Odom it’ll just be a wash,” said Jay Kornegay…

Is it just me or are the Spurs pretty compelling at 7 to 1?

But back to Odom, whom I still believe will return to the Lakers. The Miami offer has been on the table for a while, and if he wanted to take it, I think he would have already pulled the trigger. Then again, if he’s trying to get the Lakers to sweeten their offer, and they’re standing pat (or worse), then he may very well bolt to Miami. His meeting with Wade and Riley certainly can’t hurt the Heat’s chances, as it shows that he’s seriously considering their offer.

Yes, at least according to a Yahoo! Sports source.

Odom has not reached a final decision, the sources said, but there is growing belief he will ultimately return to the Heat unless the Lakers improve their current offer.

“It’s close, but it’s not done,” said one source.

Lakers officials and Odom’s representatives resumed talking after a weeklong standoff that began when Jerry Buss, the team’s owner, withdrew a four-year, $36 million offer that guaranteed $30 million. Sources close to Odom said that while the two sides have since talked, Buss is now offering less than the Lakers’ previous proposal.

I still don’t know how the Heat’s offer of five years and $34 million is better than the Lakers’ offer of four years and $36 million (which works out to around $32 million after state taxes). Surely, Odom would be able to make more than $2 million in the year after the Laker deal expired. But hey, I’m not an accountant.

Or maybe he’s ticked off that Buss is offering less and wants to go to an organization that has demonstrated that it really wants him. If Miami can get Odom at the mid-level, it will be a coup, though it will create something of a logjam at power forward since that’s the position the Heat want Michael Beasley to play.

If the Lakers let Odom slip away, they will be going backwards this summer. The Ron Artest signing is nice, but Artest does not offset the loss of Odom and Trevor Ariza. With the Spurs, Blazers and Mavericks nipping at their heels, things could get very interesting in the West.

Note: John Ireland of 710 Los Angeles has reported that the fourth year of the Laker deal is only partially guaranteed (for $3 million), so the best deal that the Lakers offered was for $27 million over three years plus a guaranteed $3 million in the fourth year. So, after state taxes, that’s worth about $27 million over three years. It now makes sense that Odom would consider taking the five-year deal from the Heat since that deal offers as much as $7 million more in guaranteed money, maybe more if the Lakers’ latest offer has been reduced.

While some are reporting that Lamar Odom has already come to terms with the Lakers, the Los Angeles Times are simply reporting that he and the Lakers are talking again.

The discussions were labeled productive, but there was nothing to report “at the moment,” according to a source familiar with negotiations who was not authorized to comment publicly.

It didn’t look great last week for Odom’s return to the Lakers after the franchise yanked its offers of three years and $30 million or four years and $36 million, with the fourth year only partially guaranteed.

But the sides began communicating in a more positive light Wednesday. Financial details were not immediately available, though the Lakers were not expected to have improved their initial offers. If anything, the offers might have dropped slightly.

Odom doesn’t have a lot of leverage. The Lakers are offering him the best deal he can get, and the other teams with cap space don’t seem too interested in his services. He’d be willing to play for Miami, but the best that they can offer is the mid-level exception, and it simply doesn’t compare to what the Lakers are wiling to give him (even after state taxes are taken into account).

With the Lakers back at the bargaining table, all signs point to Odom’s eventual return.

I don’t know how dependable this is, but Black Sports Online apparently has sources “close to Lamar Odom” that say he’s going to re-sign.

Sources close to Lamar Odom have told BSO that Odom will resign with the Lakers.

Odom will sign a 4 year 40 million dollar contract to stay with the champs.

The change of heart came after Lamar reached out to Dr. Jerry Buss. The two of them spoke yesterday where they were able to reach an agreement.

*UPDATE*

Once again sources close to Lamar Odom are insisting a deal is done and is just waiting for Dr. Buss to sign off on it.

The big question is…is WhiteSportsOnline.com taken?

I’m here all week. Try the veal.

The Lakers need to re-sign Odom in order to avoid taking a step back this summer. The Ron Artest acquisition should be great, but adding Artest would not offset losing both Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom. With the Odom signing, the Lakers would be the clear favorite to repeat next season. Without him, I’m not so sure…

Yesterday, when we learned that Lamar Odom called Lakers owner Jerry Buss to try to smooth things over, it seemed (fairly) inevitable that the two sides would come to some sort of understanding and Odom would return to the Lakers. But a day later, it looks like there is a real chance that he may end up signing with the Miami Heat.

Amid a growing sense around the league that the Miami Heat have a real shot at stealing Lamar Odom away from the Los Angeles Lakers, Odom is expected to take the weekend to ponder his next move.

Sources with knowledge of Odom’s thinking told ESPN.com that he has not abandoned hope of resuscitating serious negotiations with L.A. after Lakers owner Jerry Buss angrily pulled a three-year, $27 million offer off the table earlier this week.

According to a broadcast report Friday night from longtime L.A. television anchor Jim Hill, Odom called Buss directly on Thursday in an attempt to reignite talks.

The Heat, meanwhile, have made it clear that they are prepared to offer the richest contract they can in an attempt to convince Odom to stop haggling with the Lakers, with the Dallas Mavericks also eager to offer the same fallback option.

Heat star Dwyane Wade made a public plea Friday for Odom to return to the franchise that sent him to the Lakers in the Shaquille O’Neal deal in the summer of 2004, announcing that “we want him back home.”

According to sources close to the process, Odom has been apprised that he can sign a five-year Heat deal consuming all of the team’s mid-level exception, which would be worth $34 million and include the option to return to free agency after three years and negotiate a larger contract with Miami.

Read the rest of Marc Stein’s column (which he’s been updating throughout this process) here.

I think this all comes down to Jerry Buss’s mood. Odom wouldn’t have called him if he didn’t want to take the Lakers’ offer. But Buss pulled the offer after negotiations fell apart, and it’s not clear how willing he is to open talks again.

Ultimately, cooler heads are likely to prevail. With Richard Jefferson landing in San Antonio, Shawn Marion headed to Dallas, and Portland sitting on a load of cap space, the Lakers’ Western Conference foes are getting better, and even though they signed Ron Artest, they know they can’t afford to lose both Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom this summer.

Or maybe they can. Like I said, this all depends on Jerry Buss. He made Odom an offer that was well above his market value and Odom’s camp tried to put the squeeze on him.

Hell hath no fury like an owner scorned.

With the Finals behind us and the draft and free agency looming, the rumors are flying fast and furious. Here’s a rundown of the latest scuttlebutt…

Things are rumored to be getting worse in Golden State.

The talk is that Monta Ellis is unhappy with the direction the organization is heading in, and still holds a bit of grief over the way they held his contract status in limbo for months following his moped injury. For weeks we’ve heard that Ellis is no longer interested in playing for Golden State, and apparently it had reached a point where it was “close to popping off” in the words of one NBA executive—meaning going to the media and publicly demanding a trade.

Let me get this straight — the franchise gives Ellis $66 million over six years and he rewards them by tearing up his ankle in a moped accident, missing 57 games this season. I’m sure he wasn’t happy about the 30-game suspension he served with no pay, but he wasn’t going to play in those games anyway. Shouldn’t he be punished for being boneheaded enough to tool around on a moped?

It sounds like the team has promised Ellis that he’ll be running the point next season and may have promised that they wouldn’t take a point guard at #7, prompting several prospects — Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans and Ricky Rubio — to refuse to work out for Golden State. Suddenly, Jordan Hill looks like a stronger possibility if he’s still on the board when the Warriors pick.

In addition to the Shaq rumors, the Cavs might be thinking about adding Antawn Jamison.

The deal would essentially be a cost-cutting move for the Wizards, sending Antawn Jamison and filler (Mike James) to the Cavs for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. Wallace seems likely to retire, and Pavlovic is on a non-guaranteed contract for next season. It’s not clear whether the Wizards would need to surrender the #5 pick. Jamison is attractive to the Cavs since he’s exactly the type of combo forward they were missing to match up with Orlando’s Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu.

Jamison, 33, is due more than $40 million over the next three years, so if the Cavs were to take on his contract, it would eat up most of the cap space they’re projected to have next summer. They’re on the hook for $20.2 million heading into 2010 (not counting the final year of LeBron’s contract), so if you add in Jamison’s $13.4 million, that puts the Cavs’ projected payroll at $33.6 million, leaving roughly $25 million to sign LeBron and another free agent or two. That’s not enough money to lock up a big name like Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire, so if the Cavs were to acquire Jamison, they’d have to move Mo Williams or Daniel Gibson to clear enough cap space to add a player like that.

Jamison would be a nice matchup for Lewis and Turkoglu, but at 33 years-old, I don’t know if it’s a wise investment for the Cavs.

Kevin Love to Memphis?

No GM in the NBA is apparently more active right now than Minnesota’s David Kahn, as he’s apparently set on “making a big splash in his first draft” according to one NBA executive, and is “talking to everyone” at the moment. One rumor that is making the rounds has Minnesota sending Memphis Kevin Love in exchange for the #2 pick (and filler). Minnesota would then draft Ricky Rubio, which could help them significantly with their ticket sales, and still have the #6 pick at their disposal, which they could use to take someone like Jordan Hill.

The move does make sense for the Grizzlies, as they would get a semi-proven power forward in Love, who averaged 11.1 points and 9.1 rebounds in around 25 minutes of playing time in his rookie season. His PER (18.39) is 13th amongst qualified power forwards. Love would seemingly be a nice fit with the core of O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley.

For the T-Wolves, it’s pretty risky to give up on Love. If they’re trying to upgrade at point guard, they can do so at #6 without trading Love. The best thing about this draft is the depth at point guard, but if they’re desperate to land Rubio, they’re probably not going to get him at #6. This is essentially a Love-for-Rubio swap, and Rubio is a big unknown right now. However, this is Kahn’s first draft, so he holds no allegiance to Love, so the rumors may very well be true.

The Lakers may be able to keep both Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom.

The recent sentiment is that there might be room for both Ariza and Odom. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson even said as much last week, saying it wasn’t “written in stone” that the team would have to make an either/or decision with the two players.

The great unknown, however, is the spending culture of NBA owners this summer in a bedraggled economy. Will Odom and Ariza find fewer offers than they would have entertained in past free-agent markets? If so, the Lakers might be able to retain both.

Another important economic figure for the Lakers will be the luxury-tax threshold for the 2009-10 season, which will be announced by the NBA in July. The team is already expected to pay between $5 million and $7 million in luxury taxes this season, a number that would jump significantly next season if Odom and Ariza are re-signed. Buss will have to dip much more deeply into his own pockets to re-sign the two free-agent forwards.

Winning simply makes everything easier. Everyone is happy in Los Angeles, so Jerry Buss is more likely to pony up to keep the team together and the players are more likely to give a hometown discount. Odom has said in the past that he can’t imagine not living at the beach, but it’s unclear just how much less he’d be willing to take to stay in Los Angeles. There aren’t that many teams in a position to offer him a fat contract, so I could see him signing for $7-$8 million per season.

Ariza is a bigger priority from a long term perspective. He’s just 23 and has improved by leaps and bounds since he has joined the Lakers. While he shot just 32% from long range on the season, he hit about 35% of his attempts over the last half of the season and an astounding 48% in the playoffs. And don’t underestimate the value of his defense. He’s able to cover the opposition’s best wing, which allows Kobe to float and to get a breather if necessary.

The Lakers are already well over the luxury tax threshold, so either contract is going to cost Jerry Buss twice as much as its face value. If Kobe really wants to keep this team together and have a shot to win another title or two, he could take a pay cut to convince Buss to pony up for Ariza and Odom, but don’t hold your breath.

The Knicks are apparently more interested in Jordan Hill than they are in Stephen Curry.

The Post has learned Knicks president Donnie Walsh has secretly coveted Hill, the 6-foot-10 big man whom they would take in a heartbeat over Curry. Walsh told confidants that after the draft order was established he thought a better chance existed of Hill slipping to them. That’s because some teams picking before the Knicks weren’t in the market for bigs.

It has been stated the Knicks’ priority has been a point guard, but Walsh says that perception is there only because a slew of point guards are considered viable in that range.

For a few days there it seemed like Hill might slip to the Bucks at #10, but a couple of teams picking just before them — the Warriors at #7 and the Knicks at #8 — are rumored to be interested. He is raw, but has a lot of upside and his measurables were great.