The trade rumors always fly left and right leading up to the NBA Draft each summer, and it appears the Los Angeles Clippers may be active this time around. The team is looking to take that next step in the Western Conference by adding a veteran player or two; could that player be Lamar Odom of the Dallas Mavericks?
According to this report from Marc Stein of ESPN, the Clippers are eyeing Odom in a potential deal to bring the forward back to SoCal in the near future. Here are a few more details.
The Los Angeles Clippers have engaged in trade discussions to bring Lamar Odom back to the L.A. team that drafted him, according to sources close to the situation.
Yet the deal, sources said, could hinge on the willingness of a third team to take on the contract of Clippers veteran guard Mo Williams, which would allow the Dallas Mavericks to send Odom to the Clippers with no significant money coming back to the Mavericks.
With a Friday deadline looming for the Mavericks to buy out the final year of Odom's contract for $2.4 million, Dallas officials have green-lighted Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz, to try to find a new home for Odom this week via trade. The Mavericks and Schwartz also have discussed pushing the deadline back into July if an Odom trade can't be struck before Friday.
The Mavericks' interest in an Odom deal, though, is purely to gain financial flexibility, which likely necessitates a third team to take on Williams.
Odom could be a nice fit with the Clippers and certainly has the veteran experience that could prove big for the team next year, but he would not come cheap and unloading Williams on a different team would not be easy. Williams has a player option worth $8.5 million for next year, and one would have to think the veteran guard would decide to accept it due to the obvious financial implications.
It does not look like any deal is imminent, but this will definitely be a story to keep an eye on in the coming days.
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