Lamar Odom asked for a buyout from the Mavericks not long ago, but owner Mark Cuban refused to grant him that request. Now, Odom finally got his way.
The Mavs and Odom severed ties on Sunday, working out an agreement where the versatile forward will not be on the team’s roster but will still be paid for the rest of the season (sweet gig, huh?). Odom will not be waived so that he cannot be picked up by another team. The Mavs may also try to trade him after the season.
“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.
Odom’s rough season began when the Lakers traded him in the Chris Paul deal that was cancelled by the NBA. Odom’s feelings were so hurt he felt his relationship with the team was irreparable, so they dealt him to Dallas. He started off slowly, came along a bit, but things got so bad he took a few days off and then wanted to regain his confidence by playing in a D-League game, which never happened. He was benched two weeks ago and saw his production become minuscule for the Mavs.
It’s not a surprise that Odom’s season ended with him being done with the Mavericks, it’s just surprising that it took this long. How could one have expected things to go well when Odom admitted he wasn’t even sure he wanted to play basketball this season?
