Lamar Odom, Mavericks reach deal for him to leave team

Lamar Odom will not suit up for the Dallas Mavericks again, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.

After a bumpy season, Odom and the Mavericks have reached a deal where they can go their separate ways and Dallas will list him as inactive for the rest of the season.

“The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it’s in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team,” Odom said in a statement to ESPN.com. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs’ organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship.”

Sources said Monday that Odom’s departure will be immediate and that the Mavericks intend to simply list him as inactive for the rest of the season instead of outright releasing him, leaving open the possibility that they could still trade him after the season in conjunction with the draft. Any team that has Odom on its roster as of June 29 must buy him out by that date for $2.4 million or otherwise accept responsibility for the full $8.2 million that Odom is scheduled to earn in 2012-13.

Odom was not part of the Mavericks rotations anymore — he played just four minutes against Memphis — and was a distraction more than a help. Odom, last season’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year, had earned the ire of Mavericks faithful with his erratic play and lack of focus. Odom could never figure out his role on the Mavericks, and when and how he was used changed due to his play, creating a downward spiral.

In the off-season, Odom had to deal with the death of his cousin then, while back in New York around the funeral, a car he was a passenger in struck and killed a 15-year-old boy. Odom is an sensative guy and didn’t really play any ball during the lockout with all that going on. Before the season Odom was almost traded by the Lakers as part of a deal that would have brought Chris Paul to the Lakers, a deal eventually killed by David Stern. That move shocked the emotional Odom, and after he met with Lakers management the team agreed to move him and traded him to Dallas for little more than a trade exception.

But Odom never fit in for the Mavs, averaging 6.6 points on 35 percent shooting. He was a shell of his former self. He drew the ire of fans (and at times teammates). So the Mavericks have decided to cut bait.

To be clear — Odom cannot sign with another team this season. One way or another, some team will use the $2.4 million buyout on his deal next June and he will be a free agent. From there a number of team — Laker and Heat among them — become possibilities.