Mark Bartelstein, the agent for guard Mo Williams, confirmed tonight that his client will be reunited with the Utah Jazz as part of a deal that will send Lamar Odom back to Los Angeles for a second chance with the Clippers.
Bartelstein said the deal was finalized about 5:45 p.m. EST and Williams is expected to hold a news conference in Salt Lake City on Monday or Tuesday.
The Jazz drafted Williams in 2003 but allowed him to leave after one season, a decision that general manager Kevin O’Connor said was the worst he ever made.
While there was no official confirmation from the teams yet, Bartelstein said it was done.
Dallas faced a deadline today on a $2.4 million buyout of Odom’s $8.2 million option for next season.
Williams’ decision to exercise his $8.5 million player option cleared the way for the deal.
”He’s really excited,” Bartelstein said. ”This is where his career started. They’ve got a terrific young team. He thinks he can come in and bring real leadership. He’s excited about that. They made it clear how much they wanted him. They did a good job of recruiting him.”
Williams played in 57 games as a rookie before going to Milwaukee. He eventually became a starter and was an All-Star as recently as 2009.
Odom, who was traded to Dallas before last season, never acclimated to being away from L.A. and has been desiring a return — either to his most recent California team, the Lakers, or his original NBA team, the Clippers.
