According to Scott Howard-Cooper at NBA.com, in Kobe’s perfect world, Odom and Fisher would return to the Lakers this summer as free agents. The problem is, neither former Laker was too happy about being traded, Odom to Dallas and Fisher to the Rockets. Kobe Bryant, however, hopes to use his long standing friendship with both players to convince them to come back to LA, despite both players’ discontent.
With Ramon Sessions officially being the Lakers new starting point guard, where would Fisher fit? One of the main reasons Mitch Kupchak traded Fisher was the concern over how Fisher would react to playing behind Sessions. And with Sessions earning 20 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds on his first night as a starter, Kupchak’s argument seems to be valid. When talking about the trade, Kupchak had this to say:
“It crossed our minds, but I know he would have been professional. Personally, I think it would have been a tough position to put a player like that in.”
Odom’s departure from the Lakers was far uglier than Fisher’s, as he openly voiced his disappointment from being traded. He may be a harder sell to get back onto the team. The Maverick’s have Odom under contract for next season, but could allow him a free-agent departure on July 1st. Fisher is only signed to the end of the season with the Thunder, after he negotiated a buyout with the Rockets to go to Oklahoma City.
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The Lakers play Fisher’s new home team tomorrow, which has generated a lot of buzz. When talking about the upcoming game, Bryant let us in on how he was feeling about Fisher playing against the Lakers:
“It’s going to be strange, him going to the visitors’ locker room. It’s going to be strange. I talk to him pretty much every single day, though. Still. In terms of our personal relationship, this really hasn’t been any separation in that sense. But seeing him come into Staples Center in a different uniform is going to be extremely, extremely weird for us all.”
Odom and Fisher were two of the Lakers’ most popular players the past few seasons. Personally, I would love to see them come back and play in purple and gold. Let’s see if Kobe can work some magic.