Golden State Warriors Want Lamar Odom After Mavericks Departure?
Lamar Odom could be picked up by the Golden State Warriors following reports that the Oakland, California-based NBA team is interested in recruiting him just days after he announced his departure from the Dallas Mavericks.
The 32-year-old NBA veteran is reportedly on the Warriors' radar and could possibly sign on as a small forward for the struggling team, although he would likely be forced to take a significant pay cut, according to Marcus Thompson of ibabuzz.com.
Odom announced his departure from the Mavericks on Monday after joining in December, and he will now be placed on the team's inactive list for the remainder of the season. Critics have attributed to his disappointing stats all season to his lack of enthusiasm for the team.
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"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."
Odom, who has played 50 games during this season, has averaged just 6.6 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game, which is a far cry from his better days with the Lakers, where he averaged 16.5 points, 13.4 rebounds (4.9 offensive and 9.5 defensive).
After his December trade from the Lakers, whom he played for since 2004, Odom struggled to adapt to his new team, which fans suspect was a reflection of his unhappiness with leaving the Los Angeles team.
Odom has also received some criticism for his reality TV show "Khloe & Lamar," which he was also filming with wife Khloe Kardashian throughout the basketball season. Some say it has only been a distraction for his lackluster in-game performance.
Kardashian, 28, is now considering canceling the reality show in a bid to protect her marriage to Odom, following reports that he is no longer interested in being associated with the show because he believes that it ruined his career.
"Right now he's not up for anything except playing ball again. And as far as another season of Khloe and Lamar is concerned, it's completely out of the question. He doesn't want the cameras following him around when he has no job and feels so low," a friend of the Kardashian family told Hollywood Life.
"Lamar has a lot of resentment right now towards Khloe. Their relationship is really suffering right now. Lamar's just really angry and is taking it out on Khloe by basically shutting down. He is depressed and withdrawn. Khloe wants to go to couples therapy with Lamar, but he doesn't want to go," the source added.
