Mark Cuban Calls Lamar Odom Acquisition ‘Worst Personnel Move’ Ever

NBA: Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks

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.

— Think You Know Everything About Kobe Bryant? Take The Ultimate Kobe Quiz! —

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:

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.

[divide]

Steve Nash Announces His Retirement, Byron Scott Reflects On His Career


Please enable Javascript to watch this video

You May Also Like

Kyle Kuzma Discusses Growth As Longest-Tenured Member Of Lakers

It may feel like just yesterday that Kyle Kuzma’s stats were exploding off the page during his rookie season with…

Lakers News: Magic Johnson Agrees With LeBron James On Playing Without Fans

LeBron James has not been shy about his struggles coming to grips with the sudden suspension of the 2019-20 NBA season…

Lakers News: Los Angeles Set To Workout Four NBA Prospects on Thursday

The Los Angeles Lakers long awaited the results of the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery, securing their top-three protected pick and…

Lakers News: Frank Vogel, Russell Westbrook Praise Austin Reaves For Performance Against Warriors

There have not been many bright spots for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2021-22 season as they have severely…