In 2011, the Dallas Mavericks acquired reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Lamar Odom, from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a protected first-round draft pick and a trade exception worth $8.9 million.
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The move was thought to be a steal for the Mavericks with Odom considered to be a massive upgrade to the bench in Dallas. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the worst moves made by owner Mark Cuban.
According to Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram, Cuban opened up about the Odom trade:
#Mavs owner Mark Cuban said acquiring Lamar Odom in 2011 "was by far the worst'' personnel move he's ever made.
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) March 23, 2015
After the blockbuster trade to send Chris Paul to the Lakers was vetoed by the NBA, the storied franchise headed into a downward spiral with both Odom and Pau Gasol on shaky ground. Both players were supposed to be headed elsewhere, but ended up having to stay in an awkward situation in Los Angeles.
Fortunately, Gasol handled the move like the consummate professional he is. Odom, on other hand, was hurt by the attempted trade and as a result no longer wanted to be with a franchise that no longer wanted him.
Ultimately, Odom forced the hand of general manager Mitch Kupchak and was dealt to the Mavericks. The veteran forward later admitted to regretting the move as he was never the same player and bounced around quite a bit after failing miserably in Dallas.
After 50 games with Dallas, the Mavericks agreed to part ways with Odom leaving his career forever tarnished. Odom eventually ended up where it all began with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2012-13 NBA season, but failed to make enough of an impression to stay with the team or play another season in the league.
Odom did play overseas briefly before Phil Jackson gave him an opportunity to make the New York Knicks roster last summer. The veteran forward was unable to hold his own in New York and was cut in July of last year.
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