Lamar Odom Saga Proves Trading for NBA Veterans Is Foolish Move

When the Dallas Mavericks acquired Lamar Odom before the NBA season started, the move was praised as a sign that the defending champions were putting their best foot forward to make another deep postseason run.

Things don't always work out the way they are supposed to. 

The Mavericks are poised to make it back to the playoffs, but Odom is going to be sitting on his couch watching the games, presumably the Lakers', since Los Angeles is clearly where he desperately wanted to be. 

But the Odom deal was just the latest in a string of bad moves by teams that prove putting all your eggs in a veteran NBA player is not worth it. 

There have been rare exceptions, with two of the best examples being Shaquille O'Neal going to Miami as well as Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen heading to Boston.

In recent years, however, we have seen teams go all-in on a player they thought could put them over the top. Odom's move to the Mavericks was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Just last year, when the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony, there was a fervor surrounding that franchise the likes of which we hadn't seen since the end of the 20th century. 

A quick playoff exit and a mediocre performance since taking over Madison Square Garden have left the Knicks desperate to find someone else to embrace—hence the Jeremy Lin movement that took over the league for about two days. 

So what does trading for veterans in the NBA really do?

If we are talking about role players, those have a tendency to work out because they don't have to be coddled as much. 

But any player who is a mid-level star or above is going to come with a lot of risks. NBA players have been given so much control over the direction of their teams that what happens off the court has become more important than the team with the best record. 

Veteran players feel such a sense of entitlement that if the smallest thing doesn't work to their advantage, they are going to quit on their team, get in fights with the owner in the locker room or whine until they get everything they want. 

Odom should serve as a cautionary tale to any NBA team thinking it has found the perfect piece to put them over the top. In this league, much like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.

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