Is he worth $9 million to $10 million per season?
Lamar Odom is a very good NBA forward, however he will be turning 30 years old in November.
This past season he won a championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers before becoming a free agent. If his contract is going to cost $9 million to $10 million per year, is he a smart risk?
Odom was used sparingly as a starter in 2008-09, something that he was not accustomed to. In 665 NBA games in his career so far, Odom has not started only 60 games but 46 of those non-starts were from last year alone. Of course, with that his minutes per game declined significantly last year, well below his previous averages, and points per game totals fell as did most other statistics.
Often when an athlete approaches 30 years old and his statistics start to decline it is a sign of aging, but in Odom's case, that doesn't appear to be the issue. The Lakers had enough depth in their lineup and in big men that Odom's decline in per game averages this past season were actually just the result of increased competition for minutes within the Lakers team itself as opposed to a decline in Odom's abilities.
When Odom's statistics are examined on a per minute played basis they show that he is still the same quality player that he was before.
If the Lakers are going to keep at the same high level, then signing Odom or a player of his calibre will be important. With all the free agent action over in the East, no one is conceding the 2009-10 NBA season and the Lakers would be smart to keep a deep club as a safeguard to slumping players and possible injuries.
NBA signings, trades, and roster changes can affect the futures market
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