After a historic season last year in which the Dallas Mavericks were finally able to win an NBA title, the consensus was that Dirk Nowitzki and company would be just as good if not better this season in their title defense. There is no question that this already aging team was one year older, but with the right veterans intact and some key offseason free agent signings the Mavs would be back on top once again.

Unfortunately, the Dallas Mavericks failed to re-sign any of their top free agents like Caron Butler (Los Angeles Clippers), J.J. Barea (Minnesota Timberwolves) or Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks). With all three of their top priority free agents gone, the Mavs were left scrambling for players and ended up with some pretty good ones in Vince Carter and Delonte West.

Not only were the additions of Carter and West huge for Dallas after losing Butler, Chandler and Barea, but they also made a trade for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Lamar Odom from the Los Angeles Lakers. This trade was thought to be an absolute steal with Odom at the top of his game and the Mavs only giving up a trade exception in return. Unfortunately, things haven’t turned out well for Odom or the Mavs as the versatile forward just doesn’t seem to fit and has gone from sixth man to eighth man off the bench.

With just $2.6 million left on the books for Lamar Odom next season and potential big-name free agents like Deron Williams (New Jersey Nets) and Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) available, the consensus is that the Mavericks will buyout Odom which will make him a free agent. This is unfortunate for both the team and the player, but probably the best option for both sides moving forward.

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