July 14, 200421 yr From ESPN, There could be a hitch in the deal that would send Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat, and it's called Lamar Odom. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith has learned there is an issue with Odom's contract that could affect the finalization of the trade to send Shaq to Miami for Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round pick. Odom's contract calls for a 15 percent "trade kicker," which means in the case Odom were dealt to another team, he would be due an extra 15 percent on his contract. In this case, that amount would total between $8.5 million and $9.5 million, in addition to the approximate $55 million remaining on Odom's current contract. Smith reports that the issue does not appear to be a deal-breaker but will require some additional attention to detail. Apparently, the Lakers were not aware of the clause in Odom's contract at the time that they agreed to the trade with Miami. When reached by phone Tuesday night, the Lakers would not comment on the specifics of the issue. O'Neal agreed to the trade last Saturday, but it cannot be completed until, at the earliest, Wednesday, when a two-week leaguewide moratorium on trades and free-agent signings expires. Last season, O'Neal averaged a career-low 21.5 points with 11.5 rebounds and 2.48 blocks. Over 12 seasons, he has averaged 27.1 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
July 14, 200421 yr Yea I heard about this on sportscenter this morning, really gonna suck if this trade now doesn't happen. I hate how things get hyped up and then crushed. This could still happen and hopefully will, but gonna take a lot more time now.
July 14, 200421 yr Ok well I guess forget about all of what I said ESPN is reporting the trade is now *Official*
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