NBA Trade Rumors: Dallas Mavericks Must Cut Their Losses by Dealing Lamar Odom

When the Dallas Maverick dealt for forward Lamar Odom prior to the start of the season, it seemed as though he would be a fantastic addition to the defending champs. That hasn't been the case, however, and it is time for the Mavs to give up on the Lamar Odom experience.

According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, Odom is extremely unhappy in Dallas and desperate to go back to Los Angeles. This is despite the fact that Odom essentially forced is way out of L.A. following the botched Chris Paul trade that would have sent him to New Orleans.

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I’m told he is desperate to go back to L.A., Bucher said of Odom. The Lakers will not take him. The Clippers would love to make that deal, but they don’t have the pieces that Dallas would want right now because Dallas wants expiring contracts to be a free agent player, but don’t surprised if Lamar Odom makes his way back to L.A. It just won’t be this season.

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Short of putting themselves in a terrible cap situation, the Mavericks need to do anything they can at this point to get rid of Odom. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year recently missed four games due to personal matters and while it wouldn't be fair to speculate on what those issues were, they could have been related to his unhappiness in Dallas.

Even if Odom's preference is to go to Los Angeles and neither the Lakers nor the Clippers are willing or able to get him, Dallas should trade him elsewhere. Not only is he failing to contribute with only 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, but if he doesn't want to be there then he is of no help to the Mavericks.

The Mavs are struggling in a big way, and Odom has been a major detriment. I normally don't subscribe to the theory of addition by subtraction, but that may be the case with Odom. I can't speak to how the dynamic between he and his teammates is right now, but it's tough to imagine him coming to work with a positive attitude every day.

Because of Odom's history of success, there are likely to be plenty of teams interested, especially since his contract doesn't stretch beyond next season. If any team is willing to give a decent package of expiring contracts and/or draft picks, the Mavs ought to jump on that deal.

It's understandable that Odom is upset with the way things ended in Los Angeles, but the Mavericks made a commitment to him because they thought he could be a key player for them. Rather than returning the favor, however, Odom has essentially shut down and coasted because he isn't happy in his current situation.

Trading Odom may constitute giving in to what he wants, but that shouldn't be a consideration since the main focus should be for the front office to do what is best for the team. Right now, that is certainly dealing Odom to the team that can put the best offer together, whether that team resides in Los Angeles or not.

If rumors of Odom only wanting to play in Los Angeles continue to swirl, though, there won't be much interest from other teams. Because of that, the Mavs must act while Odom still has some value and trade him immediately.