In the end, we could all see this relationship was doomed from the start.
Lamar Odom’s relationship with Khloe Kardashian is still going strong. But his relationship with the Dallas Mavericks, always rocky and seemingly forced by the whims of the NBA business, never really had the chance to work.
Sunday, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN Dallas, the two mutually agreed to split with the Mavericks effectively telling Odom to stay away instead of granting his outright release.
“The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it’s in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team,” Odom said in a statement to ESPN.com. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs’ organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship.”
Dallas will list Odom as inactive for the remainder of the season as their is no benefit to either side in the team outright releasing him. Odom cannot sign with a Playoff contender for a minimum contract because it is past the March 23 deadline for players to be eligible for Playoff rosters. And the Mavericks still have hope that they could trade Odom and his non-guaranteed $8.2 million salary for next year by the Draft.
Odom has a $2.4 million buyout clause in his contract that has to be acted upon by June 29 before his contract becomes fully guaranteed. This option could make Odom valuable once trades open back up at the end of the season.
In the immediate future, Dallas has to fill a hole in its lineup for the disappointing Odom and Odom, once again, has to shed a negative label and find another team willing to give him a chance and a home like Los Angeles and Miami have to some success in the past.
Odom is averaging a career-low 6.6 points per game on 35.2 percent shooting. It was pretty clear from the beginning of the season when the Lakers tried to trade Odom to the Hornets as part of the failed Chris Paul deal that Odom was going to pout. Upset by the attempted trade, Odom pushed for a trade out of Los Angeles and was traded to Dallas for salary cap relief and a future first round pick.
Odom has been despondent in Dallas and has not done a good job hiding his mood about his new surroundings. He was more or less sent away from the team for portions of the season and has, just by the statistics, been a big disappointment for the defending champions. He was not the playmaking stretch-4 the Mavericks envisioned.
Yet, this loss is a big blow on the court for the Mavericks. Odom was playing 20.5 minutes per game off the bench and, when playing well, could give Dirk Nowitzki some much needed rest. With his ample playoff experience, Odom still had a lot of value to bring to the table for the Mavericks in their title defense.
Now, the responsibility of filling his minutes goes to an unproven Brandan Wright.
Odom will still find a place to play next year. Someone will take a chance on this talented power forward. And, more likely than not, Odom will be a free agent and get to choose where he wants to be. That should keep him happy and motivated. It might even be a return to the Lakers (if that bridge was not burned).
This was just an unfortunate saga and a horribly unprofessional detour in Odom’s career.
