Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom has signed with Turkish team Besiktas will join star point guard Deron Williams on Besiktas squad.

Istanbul / NationalTurk – Lamar Odom is the next addition to Besiktas Istanbul’s ranks, the versatile power forwards’s contract, which has an out clause should the NBA lockout come to an end during the Turkish Basketball League season, will be worth $2 million if the Los Angeles Lakers player stays with Besiktas for the rest of the season, which ends on April 28.

Besiktas has been courting several NBA frontcourt players to pair with Deron Williams, since the whole 2011-2012 NBA season fall in jeopardy due to NBA lockout. Besiktas enhanced the intensity of its search for a big man from the NBA when Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Semih Erden suffered a thumb injury in the win over Gottingen, where Deron William netted 50 points. Minnesota Timberwolves center Kevin Love declined to make the long journey to Istanbul, Deron Williams’ teammate and dependable Nets center Brook Lopez had been also a notable choice. Besiktas also attempted, to garner the services of free-agent center Nene, Phoenix Suns big man Marcin Gortat, Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, and underrated Los Angeles Clippers veteran Chris Kaman.

Lamar Odom impressed Turkish audience at World Champs 2010 in Turkey

However, the Istanbul based sports club decided to land Lamar Odom due to his much-documented versatility on the court in the 2010 World Championship as well as his close friendship with Deron Williams. Despite the fact that his wife, Khloe Kardashian, has Armenian roots, Lamar Odom’s reality show with Kardashian airs in Turkey and is said to be popular there, because of what the show features.

Outside of centers, Besiktas had previous highly publicized negotiations with Los Angeles Laker future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Kevin Durant, Chicago Bulls teammates Luol Deng and Omer Asik , Memphis Grizzly Zach Randolph, and Dallas Maverick Tyson Chandler.

NBA Lockout 2011 : The fate of the remaining NBA Season to be decided today

The NBA owners and players have resumed negotiations in hopes of coming to a deal to end the NBA lockoutby Friday. NBA Commissioner David Stern has said that it would take approximately one month from the time a deal is agreed upon to officially begin the season. If a deal is reached by today, that would mean that a 66 game season would begin on December 25, thereby saving the league’s annual Christmas games and playing a majority of the NBA season.

[adrotate banner=”37″]