After a premature report last night (that I fell victim to as well) that Lamar Odom would be returning to the Los Angeles Clippers, news surfaced that the deal was not yet complete. The sides were still waiting for Mo Williams, another piece in the deal, to pick up his $8.5 million option for next season.
The deal is reportedly all but finished, and Los Angeles, Utah and the Mavericks are waiting on this last piece of the puzzle to fit into place. And that will reportedly happen soon, according to the Associated Press (via Huffington Post).
That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because a three-team deal between the Dallas Mavericks, Clippers and Jazz is still contingent on Williams exercising his $8.5 million player option for next season. That person said that was expected to happen by Friday.
So, it sounds like the deal is bound to happen once Williams picks up his option, which he would be foolish not to do. Williams would earn $8.5 million next season, a much higher price than he would garner on the open market.
This is some discouraging news for the Lakers, who were reportedly interested in both Odom and Williams. The team could have used their trade exception (from last winter’s Odom-to-Dallas trade) in exchange for the point guard, but it seems they’ve been beaten to the punch.
