Greg Oden initially planned to sit out next season to heal his oft-injured knees.

“He called me, and he was kind of excited,’’ Oden’s agent, Mike Conley, said. “I think he’s motivated …. He wants to play. He had said he wanted to take this season off, but he’s backed off from that …. He’s open to playing this season. I think he will play this season.’’

Conley said seven teams have expressed interest in Oden.

“We want to get to the point where he’s more healthy and can show teams what he can do (in workouts),’’ Conley said. “There’s still no timetable, and that’s the beauty of him being on his own. He doesn’t have to give anybody a timetable.''