Trade Talk: Moving Odom

The game of chicken between the Lakers and Lamar Odom has reached a crisis point, as Laker fans now have no choice but to just sit around and wait for one of the parties to blink it is time to take a look at what real threats their are to Odom’s Laker tenure coming to a premature end.  Let’s take a look at who might possibly swoop in to steal Lamar and whether or not they have the goods to get the job done:

Waaaaah!!  I want more money!!!

The Known Quantities

Dallas Mavericks – Mark Cuban just loves trying to stick it to the Lakers, doesn’t he?  After losing out on Marcin Gortat, Cuban still has a need to add another big man and got his mid-level exception back to do it with.  Like the Heat, the Mavs MLE offering is more attractive than normal because there is no state income tax, so Odom would still be taking a pay cut, it just won’t be as big of one.  There really isn’t much hope for Dallas beyond hoping the MLE does the trick because they have few assets to offer the Lakers in a trade.  Josh Howard is a possibility, but would the Lakers really want him with Ron Artest already in place?  Besides, I don’t see Odom being interested in Dallas as he and Dirk Nowitzki seem like a poor match as a frontcourt pairing.

Miami Heat – The Heat are one of two teams known to have reached out to LO (with Dallas being the other) since talks broke down with the Lakers.  Pat Riley and the Heat staff know Odom well from his previous tenure with the team and Odom has spoken many times about how much he enjoyed his time in Miami.  With Dwyane Wade calling out management to improve the roster, Odom is an ideal target to try and push them to the next level.  Fortunately for the Lakers, Miami only has the mid-level exception to offer and already has Udonis Haslem and Jermaine O’Neal in the frontcourt, so Odom would once again find himself in a situation where he might have to come off the bench.  Although, if the Lakers are willing to talk sign-and-trade with the Heat, Udonis Haslem (and his expiring contract) would be an ideal fit for a Laker roster that could really use his ruggedness.

Odom back in a Heat jersey?  It could happen.

The Wishful Thinkers

Phoenix Suns – The Suns expressed interest in Lamar Odom early in the off-season, but really they have no means of pulling off a deal.  Financial issues continue to plague the Suns, so they cannot afford to add payroll by offering Odom their mid-level exception.  That means all they can do is sign-and-trade with the Lakers but have very little to offer.  Last week I outlined a scenario where the Suns could swap Lamar for Amare Stoudemire but the Lakers might be too scared of Amare’s contract demands and the Suns would probably prefer some more young talent if they are going to give away Amare.  The Suns would probably love to entice the Lakers with Jason Richardson, but there is no way Mitch Kupchak bites on that one.

New York Knicks – This one is for you, Mort.  The Knicks still seem to be biding their time and cap space to make a major play in the summer of 2010, but with a fan base getting antsy, Mike D’Antoni might push to make a move for Lamar Odom who would be a perfect fit for his offensive system.  The only issue might be that the price for Odom would be high.  The only player the Knicks could possibly offer the Lakers is David Lee, a hard-nosed big man who would be the perfect third man in the Laker frontcourt.  While the Lakers would certainly be interested, Lee might actually demand even more money than Odom and Knick fans might openly riot if they traded the fan-favorite Lee for an enigma like Odom.  I also have serious reservations about Odom wanting to return to his hometown where he will no doubt encounter many distractions that he has been trying to avoid for a long time.

Hey, David?  Wanna switch places?

The Dark Horses

Detroit Pistons – Joe Dumars has been moving and shaking all summer long, so he can’t be ruled as a contender for Odom.  I wouldn’t be too worried though as the Pistons need more of a center than another power forward, especially one that duplicates much of the same skill set as recently signed Charlie Villanueva.  Still, don’t be surprised to see Detroit’s name pop-up in the rumor mill.

Chicago Bulls – Though they are famously gun shy when it comes to pulling off major moves, but they are one scoring big man away from being major contenders.  They appear to have missed their chance to acquire Carlos Boozer, so Lamar Odom could be their consolation prize, though they haven’t expressed any interest as of yet.  The Bulls could offer their MLE, but a more likely scenario would be a sign-and-trade and here the two teams are a perfect match.  The Bulls were willing to give up Kirk Hinrich to get Boozer, so they should be just as willing to trade him for Odom and that would be a nice haul for the Lakers who would be getting a young point guard with a reasonable contract who just so happens to be the prototypical offense triangle point guard.  The Bulls could always sweeten the pot by adding Tyrus Thomas to the deal with Jordan Farmar coming the other way.  If the Lakers ever show a willingness to work a deal and Chicago throws their hat in the ring, a deal could get consummated pretty dang quick.

That’s not Frodo, that might be the Lakers point guard of the future.

The Big Spenders

Oklahoma City Thunder – One of two teams left with significant cap space, the Thunder have been suspiciously quiet this off-season despite all their cap room and their obvious need for a veteran big man.  If OKC ever does show interest in anyone, much less Odom, they have the cash to get a deal done, but I highly doubt that the beach-loving Lamar would even consider spending the twilight of his career living in the Dust Bowl.

Portland Trail Blazers – Finally, the elephant in the room.  Portland is looking to make one big move with their cap room to push themselves into NBA elite status.  Right now they are banking on Paul Millsap, but the Jazz can foil those plans by matching Portland’s offer sheet to the young big man.  If Utah does that, all bets are off for the Blazers who have thus far ignored Odom publically but there have been too many rumors that he is their Plan B to not take them seriously as a threat.  The Blazers have the perfect match of money and a talented roster to attract Odom, so Laker fans should be crossing their fingers right now that the Jazz decide keeping Paul Millsap is too rich for their blood.

Tags: Amare Stoudemire, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, David Lee, Detroit Pistons, Kirk Hinrich, Lamar Odom, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Rumors, Trade Talk, Udonis Haslem