One of the more noteworthy trade proposals saw the Los Angeles Lakers offer Lamar Odom to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 2 pick in the draft, according to the Los Angeles Times. Minnesota countered by offering the No. 2 pick for Andrew Bynum.
The Lakers turned that deal down, as they should have, but it does make a lot of sense for them to shop the 23-year-old center around and get the best deal for him that they can get.
Bynum has superstar potential, and we see it occasionally in the games he played this year, but he can't stay healthy for any length of time.
Since being drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Bynum has only played more than 55 games in a season twice (2006, 2009).
His salary, meanwhile, is getting bigger and bigger with each passing year. He made $13.8 million last season and will make $15.1 million next season. There is also a $16 million team option for 2012-13.
Everyone knows why the Lakers are reluctant to part with him. It's the cardinal rule of NBA front offices—you don't trade young centers under any circumstances. That's a sound rule, but when you are an older team like the Lakers, and you are spending a lot of money on players whose skills will begin to decline in the next couple of years (Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest), you need to make the best possible decision for the future of the franchise.
Bynum is an electric talent when he is on the court, but his injury problems have gotten to the point where you can't count on him at all.
If, and it is a BIG if, some team comes out this offseason and offers you a potential lottery pick next year and an already established player who may ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
