L.A. Lakers: Reasons to Be Skeptical of Lamar Odom-to-Turkey Report

Lakers fans learned late Tuesday night that Lamar Odom is the next big target of Turkish team Besiktas and that Odom is giving the offer "real consideration." But upon closer look, this story is surrounded by a number of red flags that cast doubt on the report's authenticity and should allow Lakers fans to breathe a small sigh of relief.

Consider the Source

ESPN's Marc Stein broke the story. I've been leery of Stein's Laker reporting since mid-season when he stirred the pot with his "Ron Artest wants to be traded out of Los Angeles" story.

SportsCenter did a big breaking news segment with a number of NBA analysts offering potential destinations for Metta World Peace via phone interviews and in-studio.

Speculation ensued and it became the top news story of the day.

Almost immediately, Artest refuted the non-story with local reporters at practice to quiet the hysteria caused by Stein's alleged report.

Besiktas' Spin on the Kobe Deal

On the other end of this purported deal lies Turkish basketball club Besiktas, the same team that courted Kobe Bryant earlier this summer.

Representatives from Team Kobe and Team Besiktas met multiple times to hash out a deal with Besiktas promising larger and larger amounts of guaranteed money from specific sponsorship deals to lure the Mamba overseas.

During these negotiations, Besiktas officials went to the press to declare Kobe's chances of coming to Turkey promising, deeming it a "50 percent" chance and "positive."

In reality? Kobe hadn't even talked to Besiktas "in weeks."

And that 50 percent chance? Try "zero percent."

Does Odom Need to Play Overseas?

Coming off an NBA Sixth Man of the Year campaign and two NBA championships, the versatile 32-year-old, 12-year veteran has already proven his worth to the basketball world.

NBA executives across the league, especially Mitch Kupchak, understand how valuable Odom is to an organization. He was the most sought after trade piece on the Lakers during this rumor-filled offseason.

And entering the final guaranteed year of his contract at $8.9 million (the Lakers reserve a buy-out option on Odom in 2013), Lamar can only hurt his future NBA career by playing overseas.

An injury prior to free agency can be financial suicide for an NBA player. Just look at the scare free agent J.R. Smith recently had while playing overseas in China for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.

Why risk it?

Then again, it's not clear how much Odom stands to lose in the Power Balance bankruptcy, which is probably why Stein's report came directly on the heels of the company's bankruptcy filing in which Odom is a minority investor.

Suspicious timing, anyone?

Still, at $8 million a year and plenty of other endorsement income, Odom should have no problem waiting out the lockout.

The source, the club, the timing of the announcement—it all seems a bit skeptical. But we might as well get used to it as the real story, the future of the NBA, is lost somewhere in the slow-churning pipeline of our nation's legal system.