NBA Rumors: Warriors' Interest in Lamar Odom Is Obvious Publicity Stunt

Give the Golden State Warriors credit for trying at least.

They want to add a star caliber type of player and took a modest run at trying to acquire Dwight Howard early in the season. Now, according to HoopsWorld, the Warriors have their eyes on former Dallas Mavericks forward Lamar Odom.

While it's nice to see the Warriors linked to bigger named players for a change, in reality this is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

It’s simply a way to look back at the fans after another disappointing season and say, “We tried to improve the team.”

However, an aging Odom (who will turn 33 before next season), coming off a season where he has dealt with personal issues and was unproductive in averaging 6.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG, isn’t exactly what the Warriors need.

There’s also the thought of whether you want to put a coach like Mark Jackson in a position where he has to deal with a guy like Odom, who was disruptive and unreliable throughout the season.

That’s possibly the last position they want to put Jackson in, who will only be entering his second season on the bench next year.

There’s no doubting that Odom’s had a productive career, but adding a guy like that doesn’t fit the direction that Golden State is headed. Bringing in a younger small forward with a brighter future makes much more sense than adding a guy like Odom.

Golden State currently has a roster with an average age of 25.3. Odom, if signed, would be the oldest member of the roster and, along with Richard Jefferson, the only Warriors player in his 30’s.

The Warriors don’t need another aging forward at the end of his career, and the front office knows it.

There’s also the fact that to sign Odom he would have to be willing to take a big pay cut.

The Mavericks have an $8.2 million team option on Odom for next year, and if Dallas cuts him, only $2.4 million of that is guaranteed. The Warriors would have only their mid-level exception, about $5.6 million, available to sign him.

But a contender also could offer him its mid-level exception, or a team with cap space could throw an $8 million to 10 million deal at him. It’s also unlikely for Golden State to put together a trade package enticing enough for Dallas to trade Odom.

Not one sign points to Golden State pursuing Odom making any sense at all, nor does it make much sense for Odom to even look at the Warriors, even though they are closer to Los Angeles than most franchises and that’s been important to him.

But Oakland isn't exactly Los Angeles and the Warriors aren't exactly the Lakers, so I don't know how much geography will play into things.

At the end of the day though, it’s all a publicity stunt. It’s just a way to make it look like they are trying, when in actuality they probably have very little interest in a 33-year-old forward with baggage.