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While the NBA playoffs are in full swing and the draft lottery is Wednesday evening, the talk of rumors surrounding potential free agents is starting to bubble to the surface.

Basketball fans can’t get enough scuttlebutt.

The biggest rumor so far this postseason that has any real validity is that former Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks power forward Lamar Odom wants to sign in LA, according to ESPN NBA insider Stephen A. Smith.

While Odom has made no secret about his feelings towards the team and returning to their bench as a sixth man, there were questions on how much the Lakers wanted the services of the big man. It looks like those questions may be answered.

Daniel Beurge is reporting what Smith said on the radio about the mutual interest between Odom and the Lakers:

(Odom) desperately wants to come back and wants to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Mike Brown desperately wants him back. He’s going to talk to Buss and Lakers hierarchy to see what they can do about getting Lamar Odom back.

For those fans that want to just look at the numbers, don’t be fooled by the stats you find from last year with the Mavericks. While there is no doubting that 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game during his time in Dallas is terrible, Odom was emotionally ruined by the shocking trade that sent him away from LA.

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While most fans would tell Odom to toughen up and take his lumps like a man, he is an emotional man and an emotional player; that’s what makes him so good and such a spark off the bench.

That’s what LA needs.

Not only will the former Sixth-Man of the Year be returning to the city where he is most comfortable, he will be returning to the team and the coaching staff that knows how to get the most out of him.

If Odom makes a comeback in LA, I expect him to average almost 15 points and at least nine boards every game; just like he was before the Lakers traded him.

There could be a late catch in the works, though; as ESPN NBA reporter John Hollinger is reporting about a stipulation that could hold this whole deal up:

Reminder: If waived Lamar Odom can't rejoin Lakers until one-year anniversary of trade, Dec. 11. — John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) May 30, 2012

While this is an odd twist in the curious case of Odom, this won’t keep the star from LA if that’s what he and the team really want. Where this hurts most is in the wallet for the former Laker.

If Odom doesn’t play until Dec. 11 for the Lakers, he will have to take a substantially less-impressive contract fiscally so the team can go out and get other players in the meantime. While it shouldn't be a big deal, money is still a factor.

The Lakers proved last year they desperately need help off the bench, so Odom will be a Laker again the second he is eligible. You can bet your bottom dollar on that.

Check back for more on the National Basketball Association as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s NBA page to get your fill of all things basketball.

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