Photo: Getty Images - Danny Bolligner
- Troy BallardHe was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers twice (but only one of the trades actually went through), he was booed and benched with his new team, his numbers have plummeted, he was sent to the NBA's D-League and recalled back up -- Lamar Odom needs to be traded off the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs' were able to scoop Odom up for a first-rounder from the Lakers, after the long-time forward became disgruntled with the team. But, to an extent, his frustrations were warranted, as the Lakers totally betrayed him by dealing him away in the first deal that involved Chris Paul.
But after what has transpired since being traded to Dallas, Odom needs to be traded again.
His numbers are all at career lows, he's not gelling with the offense, his defense has been lacking, and he isn't playing like the talent that he is. He's not even a shadow of his Sixth Man of the Year Award winning season he had with the Lakers.
Odom was even rumored to be seeking a contract buyout with the Mavs', but he reportedly has tapped the brakes on the plan. Now, instead of attempting a buyout, Odom is pressing owner Mark Cuban to trade him to another team.
And if there was ever a time for Cuban to act rationally (which is not exactly his forte), the time would be now. The Odom plan flopped. As great as it looked on paper, things didn't play out as Dallas had imagined. Cuban may be dealing with a severely unhappy player, but luckily, Odom's value in the NBA is still relatively high.
There is no reason to dig in and reject Odom's request for a trade. His value is good enough to the point that Dallas won't take too much of a loss after trading away that first-rounder to get him. And needless to say, the Mavs' could use an infusion of youth to give some of the older players, which is essentially the entire roster, a break down the stretch.
It's a shame to see that Odom didn't work out in Dallas, because the potential for success was there, but not everything works flawlessly. Cuban has the chance to get back some talent for Odom and lessen the work load for his older players.
Odom with the Mavs' may not have worked, but a trade would be a perfect solution for both parties.
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