Dallas Bought High on the Reigning Sixth Man of the Year
Dallas acquired Lamar Odom from the Lakers on December 11, 2011, one day after creating the large trade exception in the Tyson Chandler sign-and-trade. Odom had just won the 2010-11 Sixth Man of the Year award and had been a major part of two Los Angeles championship teams, so the idea was easy to understand for the defending champions. The Mavericks sent a protected first-round pick while also receiving a 2012 second-round pick and future second-round considerations. On trade day, it looked like Dallas had turned cap flexibility into a proven veteran without breaking up its remaining core.
Odom's Dallas Season Collapsed Almost Immediately
The basketball return never came close to the expectation. Odom played 50 games for Dallas, started four and averaged 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 35.2 percent from the field. Basketball-Reference shows a sharp fall from his final Lakers season, when he averaged 14.4 points and 8.7 rebounds. The Mavericks and Odom separated before the postseason, leaving Dallas with no playoff contribution from the centerpiece of the trade and only a short, ineffective regular-season stint.
Los Angeles Preserved Asset Value and Gained a Large Exception
The Lakers' return was not a star replacement, but it was more durable. ESPN reported that Los Angeles received an $8.9 million trade exception and a protected first-round pick, while the canonical ledger also tracks the 2013 second-round swap option as not exercised. The first eventually conveyed in 2014 and became the No. 21 pick associated with Mitch McGary. Los Angeles did not need that pick to produce a franchise player for the exchange to grade well; it converted an unhappy veteran into real draft capital and financial flexibility while Dallas absorbed the downside.
The Outcome Was Lopsided Even Without Overstating the Pick
The fairest reading does not pretend Los Angeles replaced Odom's prior championship production through one draft pick. What matters is that Dallas paid first-round value for a player who delivered 50 poor regular-season games and did not appear in the playoffs, while the Lakers exited with an exception and a protected first that ultimately conveyed. The unused second-round swap and the No. 55 pick Dallas received add context but do not change the result. The canonical F for Dallas and B+ for Los Angeles fit the completed asset record.
Final Verdict
Lakers Win — Dallas F, LA Lakers B+. Dallas acquired Lamar Odom expecting championship-level versatility from the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, but his Mavericks season produced 6.6 points per game across 50 appearances and ended before the playoffs. The additional second-round assets did little to offset that failure. Los Angeles received an $8.9 million trade exception and a protected first-round pick that later conveyed in 2014. The Lakers did not recreate Odom's peak with those assets, but they preserved useful value while Dallas spent a first-round asset on a one-season experiment that never worked.