Trade Rumor: Odom for Beasley

ESPN radio reported that the Lakers and Heat are in talks that would trade Lamar Odom and the #58 pick to Miami. In exchange the Heat would trade to the Lakers Mark Blount, Udonis Haslem and Miami’s coveted #2 pick in the draft. Rumor has it Riley is trying to clear cap space as much as he can, and wants Odom back in the fold.

Reported by LAKEROC

Recent comments in the Clublakers forum:

“Does Riley love Odom that much? The only way this is feasible is if Riley is seriously wanting to clear capspace to sign Brand next year. Brand wants Miami and Miami wants Brand. But does Riley feel Brand next year will be better than anybody he can get at #2 in the draft this year?

Aside from Rose and Beasley, it doesn’t seem like theres anyone in this years draft that can make an impact immediately. Riley does not seem to covet Beasley either and Rose seems to duplicate what Wade does. Hence it is possible BUT there are plenty of teams out there that can offer a better package. And on top of that, we get Haslem? Blount I can understand but Haslem is far from just a throw in player.” - dvdrdiscs

“WOW. I like Joe Alexander but you have to take Beasley man.

The gage is Beasley played against good competition, was the man on his team and he still put up astronomical numbers. You got to take him. In addition, Beasley could play SF and play it strong. He could shoot his butt off.

As for this unsubstantiated rumor, it may not be true but it makes sense. I checked and Haslem/Blount expire at the end of the 09/10 season. Now days, its not just the players you could put on the floor. Its needs/talent/ and contracts…

…I think Beasley would be a beast. Again, he was the man on his college team and still got his, huge numbers. Imagine if he played on a team with Bynum, Gasol and Kobe. His FG% would be better than in college. This guy could shoot, put the ball on the floor and bang. What more do you want? The Lakers need one more player that could get his. That could create for others. Beasley fits that mold better than anyone beside Kobe.” - pureuncut100

“This would be a terrible trade. You give up an experienced matchup nightmare, rebounding machine like Odom for Blount and Haslem and the #2 pick.

We are already one of the youngest teams in the league and have had enough projects over the last couple of years. Stick to the guy that just helped us get to the NBA finals in Lamar Odom. He is a vet in his prime and has now gone through the battles of getting to the finals. That combo of skill and now finals experience is priceless!!!!” - Pump UP the VOLUME

“It really doesn’t matter essentially for next year. You can trade Haslem for a point guard with a decent length contract and just move from there. If they Lakers do it’s purely and simply what I’ve grown to call a “Laker move”. The Lakers take risks like this. They go for the big win, they try to get the greatest players, the greatest talents. This kid is cocky enough and good enough to pair with Kobe. We would likely win the title next year and even if we didn’t win the title next year, we’d have a title window between Beasley and Bynum for the next fifteen years.” - Jajwa

“If I’m the Heat, I do everything in my power to make the Brand deal happen rather than Odom. Then I’d jump at the chance if I were them to do the trade that is being proposed in this thread (Odom for Haslem/Blount and the #2) if they can land Brand, ONLY if they land Brand because that puts together 3 players of roughly the same age in Brand, Wade and Odom. Add in a solid FA signing for a center like Diop and you have a pretty solid team, especially in the East.

Riley would have taken a team that was dead in the water and had contract problems EVERYWHERE with Shaq, Blount, etc and turned it into a legit threat in the East in less than 6 months. Not bad for the Heat.

Lakers could turn around and unload Haslem to somebody for an expiring K since he is a solid pf at a reasonable price and be left on the hook with Blount only which isn’t too bad considering he’s a decent backup center.” - Savory Griddles

“Miami just made the most intelligent move in franchise history by trading away Shaquille O’Neal. Why would they resist the opportunity to pair Dwyane Wade with a possible future star in either OJ Mayo or Michael Beasley? As for the Lakers, this would most likely mean Turiaf or Mihm are not in their future, which I would accept painfully but nonetheless, acceptingly. Fisher just had the best year of his career at 33 years old. Can he do it at 34? Drafting Mayo would do the trick here, unless they decide on Beasley to fill Odom’s void, which might also be smart since he could be that prototypical SF that the Lakers were looking for in return. Either way, you don’t trade Farmar in my opinion.

As for Haslem and Blount, if we do acquire these guys let’s please get rid of Mihm, Luke and Radmanovic. We don’t need 5-6 guys on this team with excessively and undeservingly huge contracts. I like the thought of Haslem for his skillset but like I said, this instance would require shipping one deadweight player out of Los Angeles as well.” - Six_Six_One

Sound off on this trade rumor in the Clublakers forum