by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
Lamar Odom could be headed back to the Los Angeles Clippers, the team that drafted him into the NBA back in 1999.
ESPN is reporting that for the deal to happen, though, the Clippers might need another team to absorb Mo Williams’ contract:
With a Friday deadline looming for the Mavericks to buy out the final year of Odom’s contract for $2.4 million, Dallas officials have green-lighted Odom’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, to try to find a new home for Odom this week via trade. The Mavericks and Schwartz also have discussed pushing the deadline back into July if an Odom trade can’t be struck before Friday. The Mavericks’ interest in an Odom deal, though, is purely to gain financial flexibility, which likely necessitates a third team to take on Williams. If no trade can be struck, either this week or before an adjusted deadline, Dallas is expected to eventually buy Odom out and make him a free agent, with big-market teams such as Miami and New York also planning to pursue him in that scenario.
Mo Williams has maintained all season that he plans to exercise his $8.5 million player option for the 2012-13 season despite the fact the Clippers have Chris Paul and promising youngster Eric Bledsoe at point guard, and want to bring back veteran guard Chauncey Billups, even after the 35-year-old suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Yet it remains to be seen whether Mo Williams will hold to that stance. He has until June 30 to make that decision and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, recently said that he and the Clippers were “kind of exploring everything” to find the best solution.
According to the article, the Los Angeles Lakers have expressed interest in the 29-year old Williams, and could use their trade exception (from their own Lamar Odom trade last season) to acquire the point guard.
